Are You Up-to-Date on Current Political Events?

Debt ceiling negotiations, Trump's potential debate skip, and attacks on democracy

U.S. Treasury warns of a catastrophic default that could come as early as June 1st.
House Republicans passed a bill that has no chance of passing Congress, causing a divide between Senate and House Democrats on whether Biden should negotiate with McCarthy.
Biden called McCarthy for a meeting, but Senate Democrats will hold hearings to remind people of the deep cuts the bill would force.
The best strategy for Biden is to punt the debt ceiling, do a temporary increase, and negotiate over the budget.
McCarthy passed the bill to paper over differences in his caucus, but he doesn't have power over his caucus, which could complicate negotiations.
Biden should have a unilateral option in his back pocket to submit the coin or the 14th Amendment as the situation gets closer to default.
Trump announced at a rally in New Hampshire that he might skip Republican primary debates, which could be terrible for the content business.
Trump is an attention seeker and a front-runner who dominated most events in 2016, so he might be using the threat to skip debates for leverage.
Trump's decision depends on the polling and whether he thinks it's good for him.
There is little risk for Trump if he skips the debates, as few in the Republican party or media would criticize him for it.
If Fox hosts a debate and Trump doesn't show up, he could do big rallies, which would also receive media coverage.
Attacks on democracy, including banning a Montana state representative from the house floor for speaking out against an anti-trans bill and Republican supermajorities' continued attacks on democracy.Discussion of Ron DeSantis, Steve Daines endorsement, and foreign trip
Chris Christie may pose a risk to Ron DeSantis if he runs for president and attacks him like Marco Rubio did to Trump.
Trump may not want to face Christie in a debate and risk being attacked.
Montana Senator Steve Daines, an ally of Mitch McConnell, endorsed Trump despite Trump's role in losing the Senate for Republicans in 2022.
Daines is likely looking for allies and hoping to prevent Trump from running Herschel Walker again.
Democrats may use Daines' endorsement to label Republican Senate candidates as Trump-approved MAGA candidates.
DeSantis' recent foreign trip did not generate the positive headlines his team wanted, and he was criticized for his speeches and actions.
DeSantis' Super PAC released a new 60-second quasi-announcement ad called "Winner in the Early States and Nationally," which features clips of DeSantis speaking and people watching him.
Mark Penn wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal advising DeSantis to shift from being the king of anti-woke pro-lifers to being a responsible leader of character and competence who can fix the budget and write the economy.
DeSantis' ad features the phrase "where woke goes to die," which is a specific message for super-engaged Trump voters.
A federal judge in Texas blocked the FDA's approval of mifepristone, one of two medications known as the abortion pill, which threatens to compromise access to care for over 5 million people who have used it safely and effectively since its approval over 20 years ago.
Planned Parenthood is asking for emergency donations to help provide patients with the resources they need and to fight for their rights to access healthcare.
Noom is a psychology-based approach to building sustainable healthy habits that empowers users to make intentional and sustainable choices aligned with their values and weight loss goals.Republican efforts to restrict democracy in red states, and the importance of fighting back
Republican supermajorities in red states are passing legislation to make it harder for voters to pass their own ballot measures and constitutional amendments, such as protecting abortion access, allowing workers to unionize, undoing gerrymandering, and raising the minimum wage.
Grassroots activists in Ohio were trying to put a ballot measure on the ballot in 2024 that would protect abortion access, but Republicans are changing the law so that a majority is no longer enough, and 60% of voters are required to pass it.
In Missouri, a constitutional amendment can only be put on the ballot if five of eight congressional districts approve, which would require all deep red congressional districts to approve.
Iowa Republicans are passing a law to limit the information the only statewide elected official, auditor Rob Sand, has access to and require him to get permission from the agencies he's trying to audit before he can audit them.
Republicans in Montana voted to block representative Zoe Zephyr, the state's first openly transgender legislator, from entering the house chamber because she criticized a bill that would restrict gender-affirming healthcare.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) should start lifting up these examples and weaving them together in a narrative to tell a broader extremism story and argue that giving Republicans full control of government leads to attacks on democracy.
Biden and the Democrats are planning to make the red state book bans central to the 2024 campaign as a symbol of this larger extremist tendency and anti-democratic behavior.
Republican legislation, such as anti-trans bills, bans on art forms and books, and allowing cruelty in schools, creates conditions of daily life that make it incredibly difficult for trans people to have joy and meaning in their lives.
Rep. Zoe Zephyr spoke out against anti-trans legislation banning gender-affirming care for trans youth in Montana, stating that these bills kill her community and create real harm for Montanans.
Zephyr was banned from the legislature after being censured by the majority leader and the speaker of the house for speaking out against the legislation and refusing to retract or apologize for her statement.
Zephyr filed a lawsuit with the ACLU challenging her censure, stating that it violates her First Amendment rights and the right of democratically elected representatives to speak on behalf of their constituents.
Zephyr's censure and banning from the legislature has shocked and frustrated many Montanans, who see it as an attack on democracy and an attempt to silence opposition to Republican legislation.
Zephyr's case has also brought attention to the issue of anti-trans legislation and the harm it causes to trans youth, with statistics showing that 73% of trans youth who access gender-affirming care have a 73% reduction in suicidality.Representative Zephyr talks about anti-trans legislation and Democratic strategy
Representative Zephyr discusses receiving messages from both progressives and conservatives regarding anti-trans legislation.
Republicans are targeting the trans community, believing it will work on Americans who have less understanding of the community.
Democratic leaders need to do more to fight against anti-trans legislation, but it is important for people to recognize the attacks for what they are.
Marginalized groups who are impacted the most by this legislation are starting to see that these bills are part of a long trend of targeting marginalized communities.
There is a path forward to move away from this kind of legislation, but it starts with people recognizing the attacks for what they are.
Representative Zephyr is confident that many of these bills will fail in court and encourages trans youth to stay alive and have faith.
Supermajority Republicans in States like Montana are taking extreme anti-democratic actions more frequently.
Representative Zephyr believes that people recognizing the attacks for what they are will generate enough backlash to break the supermajority in Montana.
President Biden met with the Tennessee three lawmakers who were expelled but Representative Zephyr has not heard from the White House yet.
The White House Correspondents Dinner was held, and President Biden had some humorous jokes about Fox News and CNN.
The dinner was attended by various media outlets and politicians.
Sponsors of the Pod Save America podcast were mentioned throughout the text.