Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer has filed a defamation lawsuit against Kari Lake, a former Phoenix television news anchor and unsuccessful 2022 Arizona gubernatorial candidate, for falsely accusing him of stealing the election. Richer is seeking damages for the harm caused by Lake's false accusations, as well as an injunction to prevent her from making further false statements. The case is expected to be heard in Maricopa County Superior Court and could have far-reaching implications for the future of political discourse in Arizona.
Posts published in “Politics”
A former IRS employee has testified to the House Ways and Means Committee that U.S. Attorney David Weiss sought authority to charge Hunter Biden with charges beyond the tax-related misdemeanors he agreed to plead guilty to this week. The whistleblower alleges that Attorney General Merrick Garland was not being truthful when he testified that Weiss had the authority to charge in other jurisdictions. Hunter Biden's plea deal with Weiss includes avoiding full prosecution on a separate gun possession charge. Questions have been raised about the Biden administration's handling of the investigation and whether Weiss had the authority to bring charges in other jurisdictions.
A judge in Wyoming has ruled that the state's first-in-the-nation law to ban abortion pills will not take effect on July 1 as planned. The lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, argues that the ban is unconstitutional and would cause irreparable harm to patients seeking abortion care. Judge Melissa Owens ruled that the ban must be suspended while the lawsuit is being resolved, meaning that abortion pills will remain legal in Wyoming for the time being.
Last week, the Republican Study Committee released a 167-page document proposing changes to Social Security and Medicare, including privatization of Medicare and adjustments to the retirement age for future retirees. The White House has rejected the proposal, while Senator Rick Scott is considering a run for the White House despite receiving little support on Twitter.
The House of Representatives voted to refer a resolution to impeach President Joe Biden to two committees, Homeland Security and Judiciary, after Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., agreed to forgo her push to force an impeachment vote this week. The referral is seen as a way for Republicans to avoid a hasty impeachment vote that likely would have failed on the floor, and the committees will now review the resolution and decide whether to take any action. The fate of President Biden's impeachment remains uncertain.
Tensions between far-right representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) boiled onto the House floor, resulting in Greene calling Boebert a "little b----". The House also voted to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and failed to pass a resolution to criticize Special Counsel John Durham. It's been a wild week in the House of Representatives, with more to come in the weeks ahead.
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was indicted in May and released on a $500,000 bond secured by his father Gercino dos Santos Jr. and aunt Elma Preven. The two co-signers were identified on Thursday, and are both residents of New York. If Santos fails to appear in court or is found guilty of the charges, they could be on the hook for the bond. Santos is expected to appear in court in the coming weeks.
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against the Navajo Nation in a dispute over water access from the Colorado River, saying that the 1868 treaty with the tribe did not require the U.S. government to take active steps to secure water access. The tribe had requested an assessment of their water rights, but the ruling means they will not receive the water access they had requested. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the majority, saying that it was not the judiciary's role to rewrite and update the 155-year-old treaty.