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White House declines Comer testimony invite, declaring impeachment investigation 'over'

(The Hill) President Biden declined to appear before House impeachment investigators, writing in a Monday letter through an attorney that the investigation “is over.” Though brief, the letter tears into the impeachment investigation being led in part by House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), which has yet to uncover any wrongdoing by President Biden.

demmiblue

Johnson gambles on plan separating Israel aid from Ukraine funds

(Washington Post) After months of inaction, House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled on Monday evening an outline of his plan to address the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, defying Republicans who threatened to oust him from the speakership if he moved forward with funding for Ukraine. But Johnson (R-La.) risks appeasing no one with a convoluted plan to placate his critics on the right while also giving national security hawks a chance to advance billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

babylonsister

Reality of Being a Criminal Defendant Dawns on Trump

(Political Wire) “Donald Trump is learning a hard lesson: Criminal defendants don’t get to set their own schedules,” Politico reports. “Three times on Monday the former president asked Justice Juan Merchan to cut him loose from his hush money trial to attend to other matters — some personal, some political and some legal. Three times the judge responded with, essentially, ‘eh, we’ll see.’ It’s a jarring new reality for Trump, who has been accustomed to setting the agenda for most of his adult life — and, in the years since his presidency, has bounced between his sunny Florida resort and political rallies brimming with adoring fans. But this spring, he’ll have to spend most weekdays in a drab 15th floor county courtroom in a city with very little MAGA.”

marmar

Donald Trump was already a mess -- now he's falling asleep during his own trial

(Salon) Being in court every day is hard enough for normal people, but Trump is likely to make it much harder on himself with his bad personal habits, starting with his well-documented unwillingness to sleep like a normal person. While most of us were sound asleep at 5:30 on Monday morning, Trump was going full-tilt on Truth Social, with his usual mix of hysterical lies, poor grammar and random capitalization. He's also frequently known to post social media tirades at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning.

KS Toronado

Tuesday TOONs

marmar

Former GOP insider: Trump has "reprogrammed a generation" to fight against democracy

(Salon) Donald Trump has already attempted one coup, and the American people were fortunate that it failed. He has never disavowed the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and, not unlike Hitler, continues to threaten violence (including imprisonment and execution for “treason”) against anyone and everyone who oppose him and the MAGA movement. If Trump is actually sent to prison, the MAGA movement will likely be blunted, if not broken. American democracy and the might then be able to avoid the fate that befell Germany 90 or so years ago.

TexasTowelie

Jon Stewart on Iran, Israel, and Trump's Hush Money Trial

Eugene

Supreme Court Justices Compare Bribes to Taking a Teacher to Cheesecake Factory

(Rolling Stone) The Supreme Court, amid an unprecedented crisis of legitimacy pertaining to unreported gifts to justices, debated on Monday whether a contractor making a $13,000 gratuity to a politician is similar to taking a teacher to the Cheesecake Factory.

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

Senate Republicans' breathtaking cruelty is hidden in your tax returns

(MSNBC) By the end of Monday, tens of millions of American families will have claimed their child tax credit on their 2023 tax returns. But for many families, that credit will be hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars smaller than it could have been. And all the blame for those smaller credits belong to Senate Republicans.

RandySF

NM-02: GOP Congressional Hopeful Wished Her State Had 'Eliminated All Abortion' In 2020

(Huff Post) In a newly discovered video, former Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.) said in 2020 that she wished her state had banned abortion entirely ― a sharp contrast to her efforts to appear more measured on abortion issues ahead of the November election, when she is hoping to regain her old seat in Congress.

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US Pentagon chief speaks with Chinese counterpart for first time since November 2022

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DOJ to sue Ticketmaster parent Live Nation for antitrust violations

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Fire rages through the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange in Copenhagen, toppling the iconic spire

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White House declines Comer testimony invite, declaring impeachment investigation 'over'

4 hrs ago - 04/15/24 10:08 PM ET President Biden declined to appear before House impeachment investigators, writing in a Monday letter through an attorney that the investigation “is over.” Though brief, the letter tears into the impeachment investigati ... (The Hill)

Nevada Secretary of State announces 'no evidence of widespread voter fraud' after review of 2020-2024

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Audit of governor's $19,000 lectern purchase released

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Trump says $175 million bond is financially secure, asks judge to reject New York attorney general's challenge

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Biden targets wealthy in Pennsylvania tour with a hometown visit

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An accounting firm hired to vet Truth Social's financials quit after less than a year

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Exclusive: NAACP joins lawsuit against Arkansas LEARNS Act in attempt to fight anti-DEI efforts

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White House issues worker protections for pregnancy termination

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Bob Menendez' Wife Had Corrupt Deal With COVID Lab, Feds Say

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Zuckerberg Avoids Personal Liability in Meta Addiction Suits

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Former Marine Sentenced for Molotov Cocktail Attack Against Planned Parenthood Clinic in Orange County, California

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The Philippine president says he won't give US access to more local military bases

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Robert F Kennedy Jr claims Trump had asked him to be running mate

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Bidens release tax return that shows they made almost $620,000 in 2023

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MGM Resorts Sues US FTC to Stop Investigation of Casino Hack

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Members of self-proclaimed anti-government group 'God's Misfits' held in killings of Kansas women

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Labor Department cities Florida company over worker's heat death amid state's ban on heat illness prevention

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