Jury in Derek Chauvin trial deliberates

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Last night, former Vice President Walter Mondale passed away at the age of 93. Running for president in 1984, Mondale made history when he selected the first woman vice-presidential nominee to represent a major political party. Though he lost that election, he left his mark with the move, which took significant political courage in those days. "Our founders said in the Constitution, 'We the People'—not just the rich, or men, or white, but all of us," he said as he named Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate, a decision he deemed was long overdue. It took until 2021 for a woman to finally serve the nation in that capacity, testifying to Mondale and Ferraro's vision and mettle decades before. Rest in peace, Vice President Mondale. —Mindy Finn

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** 'This wasn't policing. This was murder'
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The jury resumed deliberations today in former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's trial on charges of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. The jury of five men and seven women began deliberating yesterday after hearing closing arguments in the case. "This case is exactly what you thought when you saw it first, when you saw that video. It is exactly that. You can believe your eyes. It's exactly what you believed. It's exactly what you saw with your eyes. It's exactly what you knew, what you felt in your gut. It's what you now know in your heart," prosecuting attorney Steve Schleicher said. —CNN ([link removed])
* — Maxine in hot Waters. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy plans to introduce a resolution censuring Rep. Maxine Waters, who over the weekend said protesters should "get more confrontational" if Chauvin is acquitted. Even the judge presiding over the case called her rhetoric "abhorrent." Judge Peter Cahill told Chauvin's defense attorney, Eric Nelson, that "Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned." —Axios ([link removed])
*
* — Cities await verdict. As cities across the country prepare for a possible wave of protests, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has a controversial new tool at his disposal to crack down on any potential civil unrest in his state. Yesterday, he signed an "anti-riot" bill into law that vastly increases law enforcement's powers to protect itself and private property against rioters. ([link removed])
*
* — Critics say the Florida law is unconstitutional because it infringes on the 1st Amendment right to peacefully protest. The law makes it easier for law enforcement to charge organizers and anyone involved in a protest, even if they had not encouraged or engaged in any violence themselves. —Orlando Sentinel ([link removed])

MORE: Wisconsin, Texas shootings: police arrest suspects —The Wall Street Journal ([link removed])


** Altschuler: Biden must convince Dems on infrastructure too
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"Popular with voters (if not politicians) across the ideological spectrum, the infrastructure bill would provide billions of dollars to upgrade and modernize roads, mass transit, bridges, airports, schools, hospitals, reservoirs and water pipes, federal buildings, manufacturing plants, the electric grid, and broadband access; facilitate a shift from fossil fuels to greener sources of energy; and expand funding on research and development. Nonetheless, passage is by no means certain. ... Although the Senate parliamentarian has kept the legislation alive by ruling that it fits the criteria for 'budget reconciliation,' which excludes filibusters, not all Democrats are on board." —Glenn Altschuler on ([link removed]) The Hill ([link removed])

Glenn Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell University. He is the co-author of "Rude Republic: Americans and Their Politics in the Nineteenth Century."

MORE: Biden says he's 'prepared to compromise' on infrastructure plan during meeting with bipartisan group of lawmakers —Insider ([link removed])


** States want more help in disinfo fight
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A bipartisan group of 11 state election chiefs have asked the Department of Homeland Security to do more in coming elections to push back against foreign and domestic disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining the electoral process. In a letter to DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas and Brandon Wales, the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the officials said that the heavy circulation of disinformation and misinformation about voting procedures and election equipment sowed distrust that continues today. "Americans deserve correct information on the electoral process and exercising their right to vote," said Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who led the group. —StateScoop ([link removed])


** Tharoor: Climate challenge vs global power competition
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"Climate is seen as perhaps the sole arena for substantive U.S.-Chinese cooperation, given the wider animosities that now define the relationship between the two powers. But even there, numerous challenges abound. ... Pang Zhongying, an international affairs specialist at the Ocean University of China, told the South China Morning Post: 'With both China and the U.S. hardening their stance towards each other, it's getting harder by the day for them to still cooperate on climate in the middle of deepening, across-the-board competition.'" —Ishaan Tharoor in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Ishaan Tharoor is a columnist on the foreign desk of
The Washington Post, where he authors the Today's WorldView newsletter.

MORE: What to expect ahead of Biden's global climate change summit —CNBC ([link removed])
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** QAnon's biggest fans
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Scores of Americans have fallen under the spell of QAnon, but some of the conspiracy theory's most passionate enthusiasts are in Russia and China. Foreign adversaries are weaponizing QAnon messaging to sow discord among Americans, according to a report released yesterday by the Soufan Center. These countries are utilizing the same false narratives to peddle disinformation on social media, potentially inciting more violence by domestic extremists. The report advises social media companies to take on a larger role in combating the spread of disinfo and conspiracy theories on their platforms. — ([link removed]) CNN ([link removed])

MORE: The secrets of QAnon's appeal —Politico ([link removed])


** Focus on the insurrection
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U.S. Capitol Police Ofc. Brian Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes a day after he confronted rioters at the Jan. 6 insurrection, a medical examiner ruled yesterday. Francisco Diaz said the autopsy found no evidence of internal or external injuries or that Sicknick suffered an allergic reaction to chemical irritants, which two men are accused of assaulting Sicknick with during the siege. However, the ruling does not mean Sicknick was not assaulted or that the violent events at the Capitol did not contribute to his death. Diaz concluded that "all that transpired played a role in his condition." —The Washington Post ([link removed])
* — Proud Boys jailed. A federal judge yesterday ordered two leaders of the far-right Proud Boys jailed while awaiting trial on charges they planned and coordinated the insurrection. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said Joseph Biggs and Ethan Nordean "facilitated political violence" even though they weren't armed and didn't assault anybody at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The two men had been free since their March 10 indictment, but Kelly concluded that they are dangerous and no conditions for their release could be adequate. —Associated Press ([link removed])
*
* — Unexpected allies. Most of the 300-plus people charged with participating in the insurrection have been released while they await trial, but dozens of those deemed to be dangerous, flight risks, or at high risk of obstructing justice were ordered held without bond. These detainees were placed in "restrictive housing," purportedly to keep them safe. But Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Dick Durbin are arguing that the 23-hour-a-day isolation is "cruel and psychologically damaging." —Politico ([link removed])
*
* — Funding still ongoing. Online payment processors Stripe and Donorbox are continuing to service several of the extremist groups that helped organize the rally that precipitated the insurrection, according to watchdog group Accountable.US. Calling on the companies to cut them off, Accountable.US President Kyle Herrig said, "They shouldn't wait for a public backlash before breaking ties with these fringe groups that don't just spread hateful and seditious rhetoric, but act on it." —Sludge ([link removed])

MORE: Five questions the political media is wrestling with in covering America's 'uncivil war' —FiveThirtyEight ([link removed])


** Georgescu: An unholy attack on democracy
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"[I]n my life I saw up close and very personally the alternatives to democracy. Those regimes are ugly, exploitive, winner-takes-all, Darwinian forms of government. That's where the vast majority of the people suffer and the few cling to power and thrive by exploiting others. These other forms of government always end up in an authoritarian totalitarianism, to protect the elites in power. In those alternate visions, voting is a sham by institutional design." —Peter Georgescu in Forbes ([link removed])

Peter Georgescu is a marketing executive, author, and chairman emeritus of Young & Rubicam, Inc. An inductee of the Advertising Hall of Fame, he emigrated from Romania to the U.S. in 1954.

MORE: Nate Cohn: How democracy faces a rising threat splitting Republicans and Democrats —The New York Times ([link removed])

I don't like a "stacked" Supreme Court, either as it is now, or by adding more liberal seats. I also think age limits might be challenged as unconstitutional (as it has in the regular workplace).

However, term limits hold a lot of appeal. Remember that there used to be no term limits on the president, but after Franklin D. Roosevelt, that became law (constitutional amendment). Term limits would automatically create turnover, avoiding appointing really young justices who can support a president's political leanings for a very long time. I don't know what the term should be, but I'd say 12 years should be enough.

While we're at it, how about 12 years (two terms) for senators, and six terms for House representatives. There's something to be said for experience, but probably lots more against permanency and fossilization. —Read G., Utah

SCOTUS has already been "packed" by the right wing.

Obama was denied the opportunity to seat a justice.

The best government money can buy, thanks to the "Citizens United" decision.

The GOP is free to suppress the Black vote, thanks to yet another misbegotten decision, "Shelby."

Time to "unpack" the court, which has been totally politicized. —Barry L., Massachusetts
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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