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Republicans are questioning Amazons relationship with the Pentagon after newly released emails show that defense officials praised tech executives vying for a $10 billion contract during the Trump administration.

On Tuesday, The New York Times reported on previously unreleased emails that show Pentagon officials applauding Amazon executives while the company sought out a lucrative defense contract between 2017 and 2018. The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure project, or JEDI, set out to find a tech company that would move the Defense Departments computer networks over to the cloud.

In one instance, the Times reports that former Trump Defense Secretary Jim Mattis traveled to Silicon Valley to meet with executives from companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google in 2017. During this trip, Mattis was made uncomfortable while Amazon representatives aggressively pitched their cloud-computing products to him. A former Mattis adviser, Sally Donnelly, also referred to Bezos as the genius of our age. Donnelly, who later sent Mattis a list of reasons he should meet with Bezos, had previously worked at a consulting firm where her clients included Amazon.

This is exactly what we were concerned about, and it contradicts Amazons insistence that there is nothing to see here, Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said in a joint statement Tuesday. Its become more and more clear that Amazon used its market power and paid-for connections to circumvent ethical boundaries and avoid competition in an attempt to win this contract.

Microsoft won the multibillion-dollar contract in 2019 after a closely watched bidding fight between Amazon. In the months leading up to the contracts winner announcement, former President Donald Trump dialed up his criticism of Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos, accusing the Bezos-owned Washington Post of unfair media coverage.

But earlier this month, the Defense Department announced that it would cancel its contract amid an ongoing legal battle alleging that Trump wrongfully interfered in the bidding process. In canceling the prior contract, Amazon is given a second chance to win the $10 billion deal. But Republicans in Washington are calling for the company to testify regarding its Pentagon relationships in light of the newly released emails.

Now, more than ever, we need to ask Amazon, under oath, whether it tried to improperly influence the largest federal contract in history, the lawmakers wrote.

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Republicans call for Amazon to testify on Pentagon relationship - The Verge

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) As state lawmakers return to Raleigh to continue the legislative session, Republicans plan to try to override Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers veto of a bill restricting certain abortions in North Carolina.

Progress NC recently launched a digital ad campaign aimed at trying to block the passage of a second abortion-related bill as well.

Republicans in the House of Representatives have scheduled an override vote for July 21 of a bill that would ban abortions based on race or the diagnosis of Down syndrome.

When the House passed that bill in May, six Democrats joined with the Republicans to vote in favor of it. That would be enough to override Coopers veto. However, no Democrats in the Senate voted for the bill.

These are private, painful moments that our state lawmakers have no business interfering with, said Susanna Birdsong, North Carolina director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.

Physicians would have to attest that the woman seeking the abortion did not cite race or Down syndrome as reasons. They could be liable for civil damages for violations.

The bills sponsors have compared the practice to eugenics.

We believe that the abortion industry is worried because they realize that the members of the General Assembly who are pro-life and who are members of the Governors party are inclined to vote their conscience, said Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the NC Values Coalition. Were just trying to encourage those members to vote their conscience.

When Cooper vetoed the bill late last month, he said it was unconstitutional and it damages the doctor-patient relationship with an unprecedented government intrusion.

The Senate also has passed a separate bill called the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act Its similar to a bill Cooper vetoed two years ago and would require that physicians provide care for a baby that survives an attempted abortion.

The House has not voted on that bill yet.

When Cooper vetoed another version of it in 2019, he called the bill needless and said the existing law protects newborn babies.

The reason behind this bill is to save actual lives, said Fitzgerald.

Birdsong pointed to physicians licensing requirements, ethics, and standards of care.

She said the bill could cause additional pain and suffering to families whose infant has severe health conditions and only hours or days to live by dictating the end-of-life care for babies who wont survive.

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NC Republicans aiming to override Gov. Coopers veto of bill restricting certain abortions - WNCT

Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiThe Memo: Trump pours gas on tribalism with Jan. 6 rewrite Former NFL player challenging Boozman in Arkansas GOP primary Pelosi offers support for Cuban protests MORE (D-Calif.), the leader of House Democrats, recently named Rep. Liz CheneyElizabeth (Liz) Lynn CheneyThe Memo: Trump pours gas on tribalism with Jan. 6 rewrite Juan Williams: Republicans prefer Trump's fantasies over truth and facts McCarthy, GOP face a delicate dance on Jan. 6 committee MORE (R-Wyo.), formerly the third-ranking Republican in the House, to a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

It was an extraordinary step to build bipartisan trust for an investigation into the most serious attempt to overthrow the U.S. government since the Civil War.

Forget it, Speaker Pelosi.

It is not going to make a difference. Republicans now define loyalty by one measure the willingness to jump headfirst into former President TrumpDonald TrumpOvernight Defense: Top US commander in Afghanistan departs | US sends delegation to Haiti after request for troops | Senate Dems propose .3B for Pentagon in Capitol security bill Fauci and Birx warned Scott Atlas was 'dangerous' Report: RNC chief counsel called 2020 Trump legal efforts 'a joke' MOREs delusional claims of massive voter fraud to explain why he lost the 2020 election.

Pelosi felt the need for bipartisanship because House Republicans initially looked inclined to boycott the probe by not naming any Republicans to the committee. In the Senate, Republicans blocked an independent investigation.

Cheney is a hard-line conservative. Her Republican credentials are unassailable. But she voted to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the attack on the government.

So, while Pelosi picked Cheney as an honest broker, some Republicans scorn Cheney as disloyal to Trump.

The dark reality is that no matter how fair the final report of the select committee, it will be ignored by most Republicans.

Similarly, it wont matter to many Republicans in Congress if federal and state investigations in New York find Trumps company guilty of engaging in a criminal enterprise full of tax fraud.

Republicans in Congress are even willing to close their eyes to a disease taking the lives of their constituents.

They refuse to rebut mindless, conspiracy talk about vaccines even as Republican-majority states that voted for Trump are disproportionately hit by a new variant of the virus.

To be a Republican in good standing these days requires buying into conspiracies, expressing racist grievances and repeating the Big Lie.

A Monmouth University poll released last month found that 63 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters say Trump lost the election because of fraud.

Last week, Pelosi called out House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyKevin McCarthyCNN: Tucker Carlson 'furious' at Fox News execs for not defending his NSA spying claims The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Goldman Sachs - Democrats lean into midterm strategy as Senate returns to work Juan Williams: Republicans prefer Trump's fantasies over truth and facts MORE (R-Calif.) for allowing his party to reach such a low:

McCarthy looks the other way and welcomes Members who spread dangerous conspiracy theories and consort with insurrections, far right extremists and white supremacists, a statement from Pelosis press office said, but he punishes and threatens those in his Conference who dare to stand up for our democracy.

Pelosi is not the only one calling out top Republicans for their failure to lead.

Republican leaders have played footsie with dark forces on the far right, The Washington Post wrote in an editorial last week, under the mistaken impression that they could benefit from the enthusiasm of racists, conspiracy theorists and other extremists while maintaining control of the party. ... Those forces have instead reshaped the party not just on matters of policy ... but also on the most basic question of whether Americans can trust their democratic institutions.

William BarrBill BarrJuan Williams: Republicans prefer Trump's fantasies over truth and facts Trump says being impeached twice didn't change him: 'I became worse' Trump-allied GOP chairs turn on fellow Republicans MORE, Trumps own attorney general, is also calling out Republicans in Congress.

The conspiracy theory about election fraud from Trump is bullshit, Barr said.

If there was evidence of fraud, I had no motive to suppress it, Barr told journalist Jonathan Karl in an interview for the forthcoming book Betrayal. It was all bullshit.

Barr noted that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellThis week: Congress starts summer sprint Brewing battle over tax hikes to test Democratic unity Juan Williams: Republicans prefer Trump's fantasies over truth and facts MORE (R-Ky.) asked him to say Biden won. McConnell refused to say it for fear of losing Trumps political support in Senate elections in Georgia.

But B.S. is now required from Republicans running for Congress.

A third of the nearly 700 Republicans who have filed initial paperwork ... to run next year for the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives are embracing Trumps Big Lie, Amy Gardner reported in The Washington Post last week.

Gardner noted that 136 of the Republicans running for seats in the next Congress are sitting members of Congress who voted against certifying President BidenJoe BidenPoll: Biden approval on coronavirus slips 2 percentage points Overnight Defense: Top US commander in Afghanistan departs | US sends delegation to Haiti after request for troops | Senate Dems propose .3B for Pentagon in Capitol security bill Protests escalate US-Cuba tensions MOREs electoral college victory on Jan. 6.

The terrible consequence of this downward spiral was evident last week when The New York Times reported on social media postings suggesting that Rep. Paul GosarPaul Anthony GosarJuan Williams: Republicans prefer Trump's fantasies over truth and facts Sears, Kmart pull shirt calling Ashli Babbitt an 'American Patriot' Five big questions about the Jan. 6 select committee MORE (R-Ariz.), a leader of the Stop the Steal movement, was set to appear at a fundraiser with a white supremacist leader, Nick Fuentes.

(McCarthy, the GOP House leader, told The Washington Post that Gosar had told him the ad for the fundraiser was not real.)

Gosar in a recent fund-raising solicitation spread the conspiracy theory that the F.B.I. may have been behind the Jan. 6 attack, Catie Edmondson reported for the Times.

Meanwhile, Sen. James LankfordJames Paul LankfordJuan Williams: Republicans prefer Trump's fantasies over truth and facts Trump-allied GOP chairs turn on fellow Republicans The Hill's Morning Report - Biden renews pleas as US COVID-19 vax rate slows MORE (R-Okla.), who did not challenge the certification of Bidens win, is facing a primary opponent who attacks him for not being loyal to Trump. The challenge is being supported by the state Republican party chairman.

Its more unheard of than it is rare for an incumbent senator to see his primary opponent endorsed by the state chairman of his party, Lankford told the Tulsa World.

But American politics is in the unheard-of zone.

Eighteen more months of chaos and the inability to get stuff done thats what we want, Rep. Chip RoyCharles (Chip) Eugene RoyJuan Williams: Republicans prefer Trump's fantasies over truth and facts The Hill's Morning Report - Biden renews families plan pitch; Senate prepares to bring infrastructure package to floor House Republican says colleagues' 'job' is to slow Democratic priorities MORE (R-Texas) recently told a conservative crowd, proudly advertising a strategy to stop government from working.

Thankfully, most voters live outside the Trump-right-wing-media election conspiracy echo chamber.

But what's next? Blood has already been spilled this year on the grounds of the Capitol.

Leaders, left and right, need to join Pelosi now in facing down Trumps lies before the delusions spark more violence and more voter suppression in the 2022 midterms.

Juan Williams is an author, and a political analyst for Fox News Channel.

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Juan Williams: Republicans prefer Trump's fantasies over truth and facts | TheHill - The Hill

More than six in 10 New Jersey voters Republicans, Democrats and independents alike favor removing the Republican tax laws $10,000 limit on deducting state and local taxes, according to a poll released Monday.

In the Fairleigh Dickinson University poll, registered voters favored removing the deduction cap by 63% to 24%. That included 64% of Republicans, 63% of Democrats and 60% of independents.

It would make sense for this to be a partisan issue, as its tied to Trump and to Democratic members of Congress, said Dan Cassino, a professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University and executive director of the poll. But if theres one thing that can transcend partisanship, its cold, hard cash.

The cap disproportionately affected high tax states such as New Jersey, whose residents pay the highest property taxes. The deduction cap affects state taxes plus property taxes. The unpopularity of the tax law, which according to the Congressional Research Service had little or no impact on economic growth or workers pay, helped Democrats picked up four GOP-held House seats in New Jersey in 2018.

More than one-third of New Jersey voters, 35%, said their taxes went up because of the deduction cap, including 36% of Republicans, 34% of Democrats and 35% of independents. Another 28% said they received a tax cut and 30% said they didnt know the impact of the law on their federal taxes.

Before the 2017 tax law, more than 40% of New Jerseyans took the deduction, behind only Maryland and Connecticut, according to the Tax Foundation, a research group whose board includes two former House Republicans.

Should the deduction cap be repealed, the progressive Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said 1.9 million New Jerseyans would be helped, 80% of them making $216,000 or less on average. But 72% of the benefits would go to the richest 5%, the study said.

The GOP tax law could be an issue again in 2022 as House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California is coming to Warren on Wednesday to raise money for Tom Kean Jr., the state Senate minority leader who again is challenging Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-7th Dist. for re-election.

McCarthy led the effort to pass the bill, tried to make the deduction limit permanent, and then voted against efforts to repeal the cap.

A bipartisan caucus of lawmakers from New Jersey and elsewhere have pushed to remove the cap over the objection of McCarthy and other congressional Republican leaders. A draft resolutlon by Senate Budget Chair Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., allowing the Senate to pass a $6 trillion spending bill by a simple majority included $120 billion to help restore the tax break.

The survey of 803 registered voters was conducted partially by telephone and partially online from June 9-16 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46 percentage points.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.

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Republicans and Democrats in N.J. agree on this. Give back our property tax breaks. - NJ.com

Both the Republican National Committee and the Senate Republican campaign arm will be airing attack ads Monday and Tuesday, during Major League Baseball's All-Star activities.

The ads blame Democrats for the economic costs for Georgia stemming from by the MLB's decision to move the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver, after an changes to Georgia's election laws

The Cobb County Travel and Tourism Bureau estimated in April that the move cost Atlanta $100 million in lost revenue, and would have been "a big boost" to local businesses after the COVID-19 pandemic. Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, both Democrats, estimated Denver would see $100 million in revenue from hosting the MLB All-Star game.

"This was supposed to be Atlanta's night, but we were robbed. Democrats stole our All-Star game to push their divisive political agenda," Reverend and former Republican Georgia State Representative Melvin Everson says in the RNC ad. The RNC's seven-figure buy will run nationwide during the All-Star Game on Tuesday.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee will air an ad in Georgia during the Home Run Derby on Monday and the All-Star game on Tuesday. Its ad targets Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, who after winning a special runoff in January, will be up for reelection in 2022. The committee ran an ad in April, too, tying Warnock to the relocation of the game and lost revenue for the state.

"The MLB All-Star Game will be bittersweet for baseball fans in Georgia as they watch a game played in a packed stadium in Denver instead of Atlanta, where it should be. Sadly, it was their very own Senator who helped run the All-Star Game and $100 million out of Atlanta," said NRSC Chairman and Florida Senator Rick Scott in a statement.

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the decision to move the All-Star game in April, after discussions with individual players and the Players Alliance, an organization of Black players formed after the death of George Floyd last year.

"Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box," Manfred wrote in a statement.

President Biden told ESPN in March he'd "strongly support" moving the game out of Georgia.

The changes to Georgia's election laws included new ID requirements for absentee voting, expanded early voting opportunities, strict rules on drop boxes and new powers for the state election board. In late-March, Georgia-based corporations Coca-Cola and Delta, as well as CBS News' parent company ViacomCBS, voiced their opposition to the measure.

"As the pastor of Ebenezer Church, I've seen these corporations falling over themselves every year around the time of the King holiday, celebrating Dr. King. I think that the way to celebrate Dr. King is to stand up for what he represented: voting rights," Senator Warnock told CNN in March.

Warnock said in a press release after the move was announced that it was his "hope that businesses, athletes, and entertainers can protest this law not by leaving Georgia but by coming here and fighting voter suppression head on, and hand-in-hand with the community."

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, was unhappy about the move and told CBS This Morning in April while she respected the decision, "I don't like the fact that we have been put in this position by our state legislature and our governor because the people of Georgia will suffer."

"I'm absolutely concerned that this will backfire," Bottoms added.

The last time Denver hosted the MLB All-Star Game was in 1998. Hancock and Polis told CBS Denver during their conversations with the MLB that everything but politics was discussed.

"They never asked about elections. They wanted to avoid politics as best as they could," Hancock told CBS Denver.

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Republicans to air attack ads over relocation of MLB All-Star game from Georgia - CBS News