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| Everything is bigger in Texas — including the Lone Star state's fight over voting rights. (We'll get to that below.) |
| Speaking of the south: Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards, the charismatic Cajun rogue who served a record four terms in the Capitol as well as a stint in federal prison for corruption, died Monday morning. |
| Plus, several mayors, including New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Eric Adams, met with President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday to discuss the administration's plan to curb a nationwide surge in gun violence. |
| It's Mabinty, with the news of the day. |
Texas Democrats break the rules — again |
| Taking an admittedly desperate step, Democrats in the Texas House will leave the state Monday to break quorum and derail GOP plans to pass sweeping changes to election and voting laws during the special session of the Legislature. |
| The Democrats chartered two flights to Washington, D.C., with the House Democratic Caucus picking up the tab of around $100,000, sources said. |
| By leaving just days after Gov. Greg Abbott convened a special legislative session, Democrats would again deny the GOP majority a quorum to pass bills, barely a month after their walkout in the state House of Representatives thwarted the first push for sweeping new voting restrictions in Texas – including outlawing 24-hour polling places, banning ballot drop boxes and empowering partisan poll watchers. |
| Ok, but why are Democrats skipping town? Turns out there's a legal reason for that. |
| House rules allow absent legislators to be arrested by the sergeant-at-arms "or an officer appointed by the sergeant-at-arms" and returned to the House floor, which is why quorum-busting representatives head out of state, where Texas law enforcement lacks jurisdiction. |
| What's behind the special session?: Abbott stirs talk of 2024 run as a special session of the Texas Legislature tackles voting limits and other GOP priorities. |
ICYMI: Stories you need to read |
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Cubans take to the streets |
| As thousands of Cubans protest against food and medicine shortages amid the coronavirus pandemic, President Joe Biden called on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel's regime to "hear their people and serve their needs" and expressed support for the Cuban protesters. "The Cuban people are demanding their freedom from an authoritarian regime," Biden told reporters Monday. |
| Thousands protested Sunday across Cuba in what was said to be the biggest anti-government demonstration in 30 years. Cuba is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, exacerbated by a surge in coronavirus cases coupled with a low vaccination rate. |
| In an impromptu televised address, Díaz-Canel blamed the protests on U.S. efforts to provoke a social uprising by tightening its sanctions and warned that protesters would face a strong response. |
| What does this mean for U.S.-Cuba relations? Ryan Berg, senior fellow of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the protests will likely force Biden's hand to complete the review on his administration's policies on Cuba. |
| During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden promised to reverse Trump's policies on Cuba. Berg said that the recent protests will make it much harder for Biden to return to engaging with the Cuban government the same way that Obama did. |
| Hug your friends and family close ❤️ — Mabinty |
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