šŖ BigTent News: Democracy Dies in the Light of Day
New Speakers and Recaps Added. (7 minute read)
LEAD STORY: LIZ CHENEY RETURNS
āļø OATH AND HONOR
š”What you need to know: Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney is retuning to BigTent onĀ Wednesday, May 1st, at 7:00PM to discuss her best selling book, Oath and Honor. MSNBC CommentatorĀ Charlie Sykes will moderate the conversation. RSVP here
š Review: "Oath and Honor" cuts through the noise of partisanship with the sharpness of conviction. Cheney is frank: the nation comes before party politics. It's not just her storyāit's a wakeup call to America.
š«“ Catch me up:Ā In telling the story of the January 6 committee, Cheney gives numerous examples of those who do and those who do not place Country Over Party. Cheney is a staunch conservative. However, she recounts how from the start of theĀ January 6 Committee, Cheney and Nancy Pelosi were brought together by their shared values of āthe defense of our Constitution and the preservation of our republic.ā However,Ā many Republicans refuse to place country over party or their own interests.
šļø Zoom out: Cheney offers examples of her colleagues placing Party over Country, including one aboutĀ Jim Jordan. Cheney writes, āJordan was not interested in understanding or discussing the rules. He didnāt seem to think the rules mattered. āThe only thing that matters,ā Jordan said, āis winning.āā
š„©Ā What's at stake: āTrue patriotism means making tough choices.ā Cheney has committed to doing all she can to ensure that Trump is not reelected, even if it means voting for a Democrat.Ā Liz CheneyĀ challenges Americans to consider what oaths to our country mean. Cheney's narrative is a poignant reminder that the health of our democracy relies on our collective integrity.
šĀ Looking forward:Ā Some current Republican politicians are starting to stand up for country and forge their own paths, independent from MAGA. Here is a brief š©² list: Mike Pence(R-IN), Nikki Haley (R-SC), Mitt Romney(R-UT), Lisa Murkowski(R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME)Ā Keep reading
š¶āāļøMIKEāS PILGRIMAGE TO MAR-A-LAGO
ABOUT NON-CITIZEN VOTING
š”What you need to know:Ā In aĀ televised press conferenceĀ at Trumpās luxury Mar-a-Lago Florida resort, Speaker Mike Johnson joined Trump to announce that congressional Republicans will beĀ introducingĀ an election bill targeting noncitizens that would require voters to show a proof of citizenship in order to cast a ballot in federal elections.Ā
šļø Zoom out: Itās already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections ā and has been for quite some time. Since 1996, itās beenĀ illegalĀ for any noncitizen to āvote in any election held solely or in part for the purpose of electing a candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, or Resident Commissioner.āĀ
āWhy this matters: Ā Supporting Trump on this matter perpetuates election disinformation that is absorbed by officials in Republican-controlled states, leading them to propose legislation aimed at solving a problem that doesnāt exist.
š Between the lines:Ā Project 2025, the MAGA blueprint for Trumpās 2nd term,Ā plans to revive Trump's failed push for a citizenship question in the U.S. Census. This is an attempt to skew the results of the census by undercounting immigrant minorities and bolstering the electoral representation of the MAGA political base. 15 MAGA Republican U.S. Senators introduced legislation in January 2024 to ensure the census onlyĀ countsĀ legal citizens. Note: The Census Bureau's mission is to measure America's people, places, and economy so as to document Americaās changing population, housing and workforce.
āļøĀ Go Deeper:Ā If you want to learn more about the right-wing obsession on noncitizen voting, Democracy Docket breaks it down onĀ YouTube here.Ā
REMINDER: PROJECT 2025
š¤² FEALTY TO TRUMP
š”In case you missed it: Extremist MAGAĀ Republicans are pushing for a plan that could dramatically reshape Americaās balance of power by putting virtually every part of the federal government under the control of Donald Trump - should he take back the White House. Read about Project 2025
š The backstory:Ā Led by the right-leaning think tank The Heritage FoundationĀ and former Trump officials, Project 2025 is aimed at creating a āgovernment-in-waitingā for the next Republican presidential administration, with āinstitutionalizing Trumpismā as the ultimate aim. Dive In
š¼ļø Whatās the big picture: Theyāre proposing to gut the āadministrative stateā from within by ousting non-partisan federal workers who do not align with Project 2025. The plan includes centralizing power in the White House by placing independent agencies like the FCC and the FTC under direct presidential control. Thereās even an idea to strip the Justice Department of its autonomy and make itĀ subject to White House control.Ā Unwrap it and then Go deeper.
STATES: IN THE NEWS
š UPSIDE DOWN ANDĀ BACKWARDS
šļøĀ Arizona:Ā Ā The Arizona Supreme Court reinstated the total abortion ban from 1864 which allows medical professionals to be prosecuted and jailed. Ā Learn about the AZ Ballot InitiativeĀ
š·Mississippi:Ā Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R-MS) declared April 2024 as Confederate Heritage Month in Mississippi, keeping alive a 31-year-old tradition that began in 1993. Read on
šFlorida: FL Supreme CourtĀ Justices triggered a 6-week abortion ban to take effect May 1 by upholding the state's 15-week restrictions. On the same day, Justices ruled that Amendment 4, which would protect abortion up to 24 weeks, can appear before voters on the ballot in November. Learn about the FL Ballot InitiativeĀ
šĀ North Carolina:Ā A federal appellate court rejected an emergency challenge to North Carolinaās Republican-drawn legislative map, ensuring elections will go forward this year under contested lines drawn up in late 2023 that Democrats and voting rights advocates say were created to weaken Black representation.
š³ South Carolina: Ā A federal court ruled that time had run out to draw a new congressional district in South Carolina, ensuring that the state would proceed this fall with an existing election map the court had previously deemed illegal.
UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS ā¤µļø
šļø ANNE APPLEBAUM AND KATIE COURICĀ |Ā THURS. 04.25 | 12:00PM ET
Renowned historian Anne ApplebaumĀ will join us in conversation with Katie Couric, discussing the state of American Democracy in 2024. They will take a dive deep into in analyses about where our democracy stands today and where it's headed.
šļø LIZ CHENEY AND CHARLIE SYKES | WEDĀ 05.01| 7:00PM ET
Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) will join us in conversation with Charlie Sykes. They will discuss Cheneyās new bestselling book Oath and Honor, the future of the Republican Party, and the health of our democracy.
šļøĀ JUDY WOODRUFF AND SARAH LONGWELLĀ |Ā WED 05.08 | 7:00PM ET
America at a Crossroads PBS host Judy Woodruff andĀ The BulwarkĀ publisher Sarah Longwell will join us inĀ a discussion about the role of media in shaping political perceptions and more
šļø BRIAN STELTER AND ANGELO CARUSONE Ā | WED 05.15 | 7:00PM ET
Brian Stelter, former CNN media correspondent and host of āReliable Sources,āand Angelo Carusone, President of Media Matters for America will join us. They will delve into the profound impact of right-wing media on our democratic processes, public discourse, and the pervasive spread of disinformation.Ā
šļø BARBARA MCQUADE Ā |Ā TUES. 06.04Ā | 7:00PM ET
Author and MSNBC legal analystĀ Barbara McQuadeĀ will join us to discuss her bestselling book: Attack From Within. TheĀ bookĀ is a comprehensive explanation of the ways disinformation is impacting democracy and solutions that can be pursued to strengthen the public, media, and truth-based politics.
š§µEVENT RECAPS
SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT) AND LIS SMITHĀ discussed the critical Bipartisan Immigration Bill that Murphy played a key role in negotiating and next steps for Immigration Reform.
JACKIE PAYNE-CEO GALVANIZEĀ AND BONNIE FULLERĀ dove into what is happening with the moderate white woman voter and what role she they play in the 2024 election.
JEFF SHARLET AND KATHRYN JOYCEĀ discussed Christian Nationalism, a once-fringe ideology, that has infiltrated the mainstream, and is shaping the far-right extremist political agenda.
š°Ā IN OTHER NEWS
š”Ā Anne Applebaum: Autocracy Inc.Ā |Ā What does an autocratic state look like in 2024? Nowadays, autocracies are underpinned by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, surveillance technologies, and professional propagandists, all of which operate across multiple regimes, from China to Russia to Iran. And all createdĀ to challenge democracy and human rights.Ā Ā Read/Listen to moreĀ andĀ Pre-Order Autocracy Inc.
š¤¦āāļø RFK Jr: Another Losing Vanity Third-Party Bid That Will Only Help Donald Trump |Ā Ā None of the third-party candidatesāRobert F. Kennedy, Jr., No Labels, Cornel West, or Jill Steināhave even a prayer of winning, but they could spoil the race and help return Donald Trump to power. What RFK is doing is a disgrace to the Kennedy name and a disaster for the country.Ā Read more
šĀ LINKS KEEPING US UP AT NIGHTĀ š³
š£Ā Did the "Accidental" Speaker of the House become a Churchill? | HCR
š°What is the Cost of American ProsperityĀ | Dame
š”ļøMany GOP billionaires balked at Jan. 6. Theyāre coming back to TrumpĀ | WaPo
šŗšøĀ Is the Republican Party OverĀ | Robert Reich Substack
"Saving our republic is the cause of our time."Ā Liz Cheney,Ā Oath and Honor
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