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Jerry Springer| Sarasota Herald-Tribune

It's frightening to realize how close our country came to losing our democracy because of former President Donald Trump and his insurrectionist minions.

But here' s what may be even more frightening: We no longer have two major political parties that are committed to ensuring that America stays a democracy.

These arenot the ravings of an incurable partisan, though I do admit that all things being equal, I do mark my ballot for Democrats. But, of course, all things arent equal these days. So my critique about the Republican Party,which was once fondly knownas the "Grand Old Party,"is an honest attempt at offering some objective observations.

And here's one very objective observation: While we still havetwo major political parties that are fiercely battling and contesting each other, only one of them is doing sowhile displaying a deep love for democracy in our country. And it's not the Republican Party.

MyRepublican friends and, yes I do have some always modify their declarations of being Republicans by saying, Yes, Trumps a whacko. And, yes,there are some extremists, racists and Proud Boys in our party. But ourparty's basic principles conservatism, limited government and low taxes for corporations and the wealthy are still worth believing in and supporting."

But is that really what todays Republican Party stands for?

Consider this. A near-majority of Republicans still believe President Joe Biden didn't win the 2020 election. And they still believe that Biden's victory by slightly more than7 million votes should be overturned simply because the loser wants to keep insistinghe was the real winner,even though he has provided absolutely no evidence to back up his endless complainingabout fraudulent voting

Is this how we show our love for our country? Or for America's democracy?

And, no, we're not talking about just about afringe segment of Republicans, In fact, the Texas Republican Party recently approveda platform suggestingthat if there any federal laws that Texas happens to dislike, they should just "be ignored, opposed, refused and nullified. It also declares hatTexas "retains the right to secede from the United States," and urgesthestate Legislature to give Texansa chance to vote on a secession referendum.

Of course, this was tried back in the 19th century and it didn'twork out so well. But apparently the Republicans in Texas think it's worth another try in the 21st century.

Once again, this is not merely a fringe group: thisis the official TexasRepublican Party, which is one ofthe largest state parties in America. And, by the way, in addition to secession the party is also in favor of:

As uncomfortable as it is to admit, todays Republican Party does not stand up for American democracy and it does not unequivocally support that principle, either. It isnow clearly in favor of making America an undemocratic theocracy, and those who long for the Republican Party that once existed had better stop their daydreaming. It islong gone, and it isnot coming back.

Jerry Springer is a longtime nationally syndicated television talk show host who resides in Sarasota. Springerhas a law degree from Northwestern University and served one term asthe mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio.He is the host of "The Jerry Springer Podcast."

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Jerry Springer: The Republican Party used to be reasonable. Not anymore - Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Rep. Barry Loudermilk led a Capitol rioter on a tour of House offices the day before the January 6 attack.

Now, he could be next in line to lead the committee that oversees security at the Capitol.

The current most senior Republican, Rep. Rodney Davis, lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger on Tuesday.

Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, who led a January 6 rioter on a tour of the Capitol complex the day before the attack, could now be next in line to lead the committee that oversees Capitol security.

That's because Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois, currently the ranking member on the Committee on House Administration, lost his primary to fellow Republican Rep. Mary Miller on Tuesday and Republicans are widely predicted to regain control of the House in 2023. Loudermilk is currently the second-highest ranking Republican on the panel. The committee has jurisdiction over both the Capitol Police and security on the House side of the Capitol complex.

Miller, who recently said that the overturning of Roe v. Wade was a "victory for white life" a remark her campaign later said was an unintended "mishap" had the backing of former President Donald Trump and criticized Davis for voting to establish a bipartisan January 6 commission.

Earlier this month, the January 6 committee released footage of Loudermilk leading a tour group through the House office buildings on January 5, 2021. The following day, at least one member of that tour group returned to the grounds of the Capitol, and could be heard yelling violent threats against Democratic lawmakers.

"When I get done with you, you're going to need a shine on top of that bald head," the rally attendee says in the video, referring to Pelosi.

It remains unclear whether the man entered the Capitol building itself. January 6 committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi also noted that the man and other tour attendees took photos of areas in the House office buildings that wouldn't normally be of interest to tourists, including stairwells and tunnels.

Story continues

Seeking to explain himself the day the footage was released, Loudermilk claimed that the man was simply photographing a golden eagle light fixture on the wall.

"Obviously, I do not support anything he said, but nobody in that group talked or spoke that way," said Loudermilk, referring to the man's violent threats against congressional Democrats.

But Loudermilk's story about the tours has changed a number of times as new information has emerged. He's continually pointed to a letter from Capitol Police to Rep. Davis stating that they didn't consider "any of the activities we observed as suspicious," though they noted that Loudermilk left the tour group unattended at one point.

Though Loudermilk is next in line in terms of seniority, his position atop the committee is not necessarily assured; ultimately, House Republican leadership is in charge of committee assignments for their members.

In a statement to Insider, Loudermilk said he would "have to give serious consideration" to chairing the committee if asked to do so by the next Speaker, but emphasized that his current focus is on "the important work the Republicans are doing on the Committee."

"Rodney Davis has done a tremendous job as the Ranking Republican on the Committee on House Administration. It has been an honor to work under his leadership, and we still have a lot of work to be done this year," said Loudermilk. "Who becomes the chairman of the committee for the 118th Congress will ultimately be the decision of the incoming Speaker."

In 2013, facing criticism for appointing only white men to lead major committees in the House, former Speaker John Boehner appointed then-Rep. Candice Miller to chair the committee, despite the fact that she had not previously served on it.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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The House Republican who led a rioter on a tour the day before the January 6 attack could lead the committee overseeing Capitol security - Yahoo News

WASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a Republican-backed appeal that could give state legislatures far more power over federal elections by limiting the ability of state courts to review their actions, taking up a North Carolina case that could have broad implications for the 2024 elections and beyond.

The justices took up the appeal by Republican state lawmakers of a February decision by North Carolina's top court to throw out a map delineating the state's 14 U.S. House of Representatives districts approved last year by the Republican-controlled state legislature.

The North Carolina Supreme Court determined that the boundaries for the districts were drawn by the legislature in a manner that boosted the electoral chances of Republicans at the expense of Democrats. It rejected Republican arguments seeking to shield legislature-drawn maps from legal attack in state courts.

Register

North Carolina House Speaker Timothy Moore, a Republican, hailed the high court's decision to hear the appeal.

"This case is not only critical to election integrity in North Carolina, but has implications for the security of elections nationwide," Moore said.

Voting rights advocates disagreed.

"In a radical power grab, self-serving politicians want to defy our state's highest court and impose illegal voting districts upon the people of North Carolina," said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause, a voting rights group that is among the plaintiffs challenging the legislature's map.

In March, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Republican request to put on hold the lower court rulings that adopted the court-drawn map, a decision seen as boosting Democratic hopes of retaining their slim House majority in the November midterm elections. Conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissented from that decision.

The Republican lawmakers said the state court impermissibly imposed its own policy determination for how much partisanship can go into crafting congressional lines. They acknowledged that the case would have an impact beyond redistricting, extending to "the whole waterfront of voting issues, from absentee voting deadlines to witness requirements, voter ID to curbside voting."

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case in its next term, which begins in October, with a decision due by June 2023. The ruling is not expected to come before this November's elections but could apply to 2024 elections including the presidential race.

Two groups of plaintiffs, including Democratic voters and an environmental group, sued after North Carolina's legislature passed its version of the congressional map last November. The plaintiffs argued that the map violated the North Carolina state constitution's provisions concerning free elections and freedom of assembly, among others.

The North Carolina Supreme Court struck down the map on Feb. 4, concluding that the way the districts were crafted was intentionally biased against Democrats, diluting their "fundamental right to equal voting power."

A lower state court on Feb. 23 rejected a redrawn map submitted by the legislature and instead adopted a new map drawn by a bipartisan group of experts. According to some redistricting analysts, the new map includes seven Republican districts likely to be won by Republicans, six likely to be won by Democrats and one competitive seat.

The dispute is one of numerous legal battles in the United States over the composition of electoral districts, which are redrawn each decade to reflect population changes measured in a national census, last taken in 2020. In most states, such redistricting is done by the party in power, which can lead to map manipulation for partisan gain.

The Supreme Court in 2019 barred federal judges from curbing the practice, called partisan gerrymandering. Critics have said that such gerrymandering warps democracy.

The North Carolina Republicans' defense of the legislature's map relies on a contentious legal theory called the "independent state legislature doctrine" that is gaining traction in conservative legal circles and, if accepted, would vastly increase politicians' control over how elections are conducted.

Under that doctrine, the U.S. Constitution gives legislatures, not state courts or other entities, authority over election rules including the drawing of electoral districts.

The doctrine is based in part on language in the Constitution stating that the "times, places and manner" of federal elections "shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof." In their appeal to the Supreme Court, the Republican lawmakers decried the "state supreme court's usurpation of that authority."

The state's Department of Justice said in a legal filing that, contrary to the Republican lawmakers' assertions, North Carolina state law specifically authorizes state courts to review redistricting efforts.

Register

Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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U.S. Supreme Court to hear Republican bid to curb judicial oversight of elections - Reuters.com

Republican strategist and conservative commentator Alice Stewart joined Don Lemon Tonight Thursday, where she spoke about former President Trumps fundraising efforts since losing the 2020 election. Trump raised hundreds of millions of dollars falsely claiming that the election was stolen.

Money is being raised from people that dont have expendable incomes, or people on fixed incomes that are giving their hard-earned money to Donald Trump to help in this process. The problem is, its all based on lies, Stewart said. It is based on his ill-conceived notion that there was widespread election fraud, and he actually won the election. That is the travesty here, is that were still, a year and a half later, still litigating the 2020 election.

Money from those fundraising efforts is reportedly being used to pay legal fees for some witnesses testifying before the January 6 Committee, raising questions about witness tampering.

We do need to find out what happened and led up to January 6th. We need to hold people accountable to that, Stewart said. But the fact that good people with good intentions that are strong Republicans are still buying into this ill-conceived notion of widespread election fraud.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

ALICE STEWART: Money is being raised from people that don't have expendable incomes-- or people on fixed income-- that are giving their hard-earned money to Donald Trump to help in this process. The problem is it's all based on lies.

- On "Don Lemon Tonight" Thursday, conservative commentator and Republican strategist Alice Stewart spoke about former President Trump and his political organizations covering legal costs for the witnesses testifying before the January 6 committee. The money used is reportedly from funds the former President raised while pushing the false narrative that the 2020 election was stolen.

ALICE STEWART: It is based on his ill-conceived notion that there was widespread election fraud and he actually won the election. That is the travesty here, is that we're still-- a year and a half later, still litigating the 2020 election.

- Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson was originally represented by lawyers allegedly paid for with fundraising money before she got independent counsel and delivered a bombshell testimony to the January 6 committee earlier in the week.

ALICE STEWART: We do need to find out what happened [? and ?] led up to January 6. We need to hold people accountable to that. But the fact that good people, with good intentions, that are strong Republicans, are still buying into this ill-conceived notion of widespread election fraud.

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Republican strategist claims Trump is raising money off 'people that don't have expendable incomes' - Yahoo News

The first half of the twentieth century began with the demise of Chinas last imperial dynasty, the Great Qing, and ended with the foundation of the Peoples Republic of China in October 1949. Following the 1912 establishment of Chinas first post-imperial government, the Republic of China, the country experienced both industrial and social revolution, a civil war during which communist and nationalist forces battled to shape the countrys future, and looming external threats during both world wars.

The Late Qing and Republican-Era Chinese Newspapers collection provides invaluable perspective on this critical period. The press of more than twenty cities is represented, spanning the Chinese mainland and the entire half century. The collection provides researchers a richly comprehensive perspective on Chinese life, culture, and politics throughout the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, the years of provisional government and civil war, and the birth of the Peoples Republic.

Open Access to this collection is made possible through the generous support of the Center for Research Libraries and its member institutions.

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