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CHARLIE SYKES: You Knew It Was Bad, But...
JUST BETWEEN US🎧: Borat Was a Documentary 🔐
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BILL LUEDERS: A Ray of Bipartisan Hope in Wisconsin
Moments after the press conference, as we stood just outside the Wisconsin state assembly in the state capitol, lawmaker Sylvia Ortiz-Velez shared with me a somewhat personal yet highly pertinent fact about herself, given the “minefield” she acknowledges having entered into: “I like my toes.”
Ortiz-Velez, a Democratic state representative from Milwaukee, has good reason to worry about her digits. The press conference at which she had just spoken was about a package of bills having to do with how elections in Wisconsin are conducted. She and five other lawmakers—three Democrats and three Republicans—had taken turns touting election fixes that they could all get behind.
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🚨OVERTIME🚨
Chris Christie is running… Should you send him money? Tom Moran of the NJ Star Ledger argues you should: “America needs Christie to be on the stage, in fighting form, when Republicans hold their first presidential debate in August. He is the only potential contender with the guts to give Trump the thrashing he deserves, and the skill set to get it done.”
I think Moran has a point, even though Christie will never be the nominee. Trump will run a “get on the plane, Chris” ad and end his candidacy. But Christie, more so than any other person flirting with running (cough cough Chris Sununu cough cough) is willing to be the punchline to this joke: What did the kamikaze instructor say to his students? “Watch closely. I’m only going to do this once.”
Conservative pundits… Are increasingly open about who they think should be killed. And that’s forked up.
How much did election denial hurt Republicans? 2.3 to 3.7 points, which muted the “red wave” many predicted.
DeSantis’s book banners face a tough new foe… Angry moms with lawyers.
The GOP, Georgia, and Elections… In Fulton County, Dems have good reason to distrust, so a GOP pick to run the election board withdrew.
Did Biden blow it on the debt ceiling? Paul Krugman argues he did.
Disney is Not the Problem… Steward Beckham writes: “I grew up with Disney as Disney grew with me.”
What if… Banks replenished the FDIC with Treasuries instead of cash? Would it work? They’re trying.
Will the Dems’ discharge petition plan work? It is unlikely they’ll get a debt ceiling solution that way.
Explosions at the Kyiv Zoo… Tim Mak reports about the missile and drone attacks hitting the Ukrainian capital.
Inside the Cult… of Stefan Molyneux.
Army recruits… Are waaay more concerned about dying in combat than they are the Army being “woke.”
Fox shakes up schedule… Puts Hannity at 8pm in old Tucker slot.
Dems are taking over right-leaning cities… Colorado Springs and Jacksonville, while a new study shows that only 1 in 5 Democrats are part of the Bernie-AOC wing.
What’s in the McCarthy bill? The Post’s Catherine Rampell has this useful thread 🧵.
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