Good morning, and thank you for stopping by the DDHQ Morning News Spotlight. An 18-term Republican congressman who voted to impeach former President Trump has announced his retirement, and the Arizona Supreme Court has blocked a lawsuit that seeks to end early voting in the state.
Morning Headlines
- US Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan announced his retirement from Congress. He has represented his district in southwestern Michigan since 1987. He is the fourth of ten Republicans in the US House who voted to impeach former President Trump during his second impeachment trial to announce their departure from Congress. In the latest round of redistricting, he had been drawn into the same district as Rep. Bill Huizenga who currently represents Michigan’s 2nd Congressional district.
- The Arizona Supreme Court has rejected the state Republican Party’s lawsuit to end early voting in Arizona. Arizona’s early voting system has been in place since 1991 and is currently used by nearly 90% of the state’s voters. The ruling does leave the door open for future challenges in other courts.
- The National Republican Senatorial Committee has said it has raised $43 million in the first quarter of 2022. This latest haul brings the Senate GOP’s campaign arm to its largest cash-on-hand total ever. Their March fundraising broke all previous March fundraising records.
- The latest bipartisan Covid relief package has stalled in the Senate over a disagreement over the White House’s decision to relax pandemic restrictions at the US border. The $10 billion package recently worked out by senators from both parties reached an impasse yesterday in a procedural vote with some Democrats joining Republicans in calling for changes to plans to lift Title 42 which limited migration into the US during the pandemic.
- The race to replace Devin Nunes has advanced to the general in California. No candidate in the 22nd Congressional District reached a 50%+1 majority to avoid a special general election. Republican Connie Conway has so far advanced from yesterday’s primary and will face the second-place finisher in a June 7th general election. Two of the three State Assembly races, as well as the special state house election in Georgia, advanced to runoffs as well last night.
- The Oklahoma House voted 70-14 to pass a bill making the performing of abortion illegal. The bill seeks to make performing the procedure a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. The bill’s legal future hinges on expected Supreme Court decisions this summer, which could open the door to further abortion restrictions at the state level across the country.
- Ivanka Trump testified before the Jan. 6 select committee yesterday for several hours. The former President’s daughter is one of the highest-ranking members of the previous administration to speak with the committee so far. According to the committee’s chairman, she was forthcoming with answers and never invoked her Fifth Amendment rights or any other privileges other former officials have.
- The ex-wife of former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens said in a court filing yesterday that she has photographic evidence of abuse she and her child suffered at the hands of her ex-husband. The filing is a part of a custody battle that is currently ongoing between the two parties. Former Governor Greitens is currently a candidate for the US Senate in Missouri.
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