Washington Post: “Florida legislators approved a legislative package Wednesday that will dramatically expand gambling in the state and sets the stage for former president Donald Trump to pursue a casino license at his Doral golf resort. The legislation includes a 30-year compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, negotiated by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a Trump ally. The compact includes a provision barring the tribe from interfering should the state issue a gambling license to a facility more than 15 miles ‘in a straight line’ from the tribe’s Hard Rock Hotel Casino Hollywood.”

“Trump’s Doral resort, which he purchased in 2012 and then spent an estimated $250 million renovating, is slightly more than 15 miles away. Trump’s son Eric Trump, who has managed the company since Trump entered office in 2017, told The Washington Post in March that Doral would be a natural fit for a casino. ‘Many people consider Trump Doral to be unmatched from a gaming perspective – at 700 acres, properties just don’t exist of that size and quality in South Florida, let alone in the heart of Miami,’ Eric Trump said in an email. He did not respond to a request for comment this week. Trump’s Florida resort touted as potential gambling destination Opponents of the legislation, which could dramatically increase sports and online gambling in Florida, called the compact too deferential to Trump’s Doral resort and another prospective casino site, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel, owned by developer Jeffrey Soffer. The tribe’s opposition has been a major obstacle to efforts to establish new casinos.”

“Senior Republicans are making clear they have little interest in moving forward with a sweeping January 6 investigation in part because a detailed probe could become politically damaging and amount to a distraction for their party just as control of Congress is at stake in next year’s midterm elections. Publicly and privately, Republicans are making that case, with Senate GOP Whip John Thune noting that there’s concern among some GOP members that the findings of the probe ‘could be weaponized politically and drug into next year.'”

“‘I want our midterm message to be on the kinds of things that the American people are dealing with: That’s jobs and wages and the economy and national security, safe streets and strong borders – not relitigating the 2020 elections,’ Thune told CNN. ‘A lot of our members, and I think this is true of a lot of House Republicans, want to be moving forward and not looking backward. Anything that gets us rehashing the 2020 elections I think is a day lost on being able to draw a contrast between us the Democrats’ very radical left-wing agenda” – CNN.

After hearing complaints from conservative political powers in the state, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has withdrawn its offer of a tenured chair at the school to a highly distinguished journalist because of her contributions to the 1619 Project.

According to NC Policy Watch, Nikole Hannah-Jones was offered the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism, a tenured position in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media.  An alumnae of Chapel Hill herself, where she got her master’s degree, Hannah-Jones’ credentials are suited for the position, having worked at Raleigh’s News & Observer, The Oregonian in Portland and Pro Publica in New York, as well as the New York Times Magazine.

Nominated for the position by a faculty review board, Hannah-Jones has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant,” and she contributed to the NY Times’ acclaimed 1619 Project feature, which investigated the influence slavery has had on the United States on the 400th anniversary of the first slave ship coming to American shores. 

The Nation: “On Monday, an ad began appearing on Facebook showing Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar’s face next to Hamas rockets. A caption reads: ‘When Israel targets Hamas Rep. Omar calls it an ‘act of terrorism.’’ The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group known as AIPAC, purchased the ads, which are still active as of today. Omar’s office is calling on Facebook to immediately remove the ads, which ‘blatantly peddle both anti-Muslim hate speech and disinformation,’ and on AIPAC to apologize. ‘Given the number of threats of death and violence the Congresswoman receives on a near-daily basis, it’s not just irresponsible-it’s incitement,’ Omar deputy communications director Isi Kirshner-Breen told The Nation.”

“The ad is factually inaccurate: The Minnesota congresswoman has not stated that Israel targeting Hamas constitutes ‘an act of terrorism.’ In a tweet last week, she used that phrase in reference to ‘Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza.’ According to the latest reports, civilian casualties in Gaza number at least 227. Omar has also repeatedly denounced the firing of rockets by Hamas into Israel, calling it a war crime. Muslim civil rights groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have criticized AIPAC’s ad for using Islamophobic tropes to attack Omar, calling it a ‘shameful attempt’ to ‘unleash anti-Muslim bigotry’ on one of the two Muslim women in Congress.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to President Joe Biden’s call for an immediate de-escalation of violence in Gaza by saying Israel’s military operations will continue until “its goal is achieved,” meaning that the nation is safe, the Washington Post reports.

“I especially appreciate the support of US President Joe Biden, for the right to self-defense for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu tweeted Wednesday. “I am determined to continue this operation until its goal is achieved, to restore peace and security to you, the citizens of Israel.”

An unnamed senior military source said that Israel had destroyed 80 rocket launchers and killed at least 130 Hamas militia so far, meaning that more than 100 of the Palestinian dead were civilians.  At least 64 children have been killed in the attacks, according to local health officials.

New Yorkers will find out what I have known for some time, that @AndrewHGiuliani will be a REAL Governor. That means first and foremost he will dedicate everything to saving New York. And he will succeed. The GREATEST chapter of New York is yet to be written! #NYForGiuliani2022 pic.twitter.com/1pKuIP4CEi

— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) May 19, 2021

Trump 48%, Pence 13%, DeSantis 8%, Don Jr 7%, Hawley 0% (among others) in the Morning Consult/Politico tracking poll. Biden’s is at 53%/42% approve/disapprove. Read more here.

https://twitter.com/AndrewSolender/status/1395052921172201477

“I have just learned, through leaks in the mainstream media, that after being under investigation from the time I came down the escalator 5 ½ years ago, including the fake Russia Russia Russia Hoax, the 2 year, $48M, No Collusion Mueller Witch Hunt, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2, and others, that the Democrat New York Attorney General has ‘informed’ my organization that their ‘investigation’ is no longer just a civil matter but also potentially a ‘criminal’ investigation working with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. There is nothing more corrupt than an investigation that is in desperate search of a crime. But, make no mistake, that is exactly what is happening here. The Attorney General of New York literally campaigned on prosecuting Donald Trump even before she knew anything about me. She said that if elected, she would use her office to look into “every aspect” of my real estate dealings. She swore that she would ‘definitely sue’ me. She boasted on video that she would be, and I quote, ‘a real pain in the ass’” and it just keeps going from there. Read more if you want.

As the United States passes the milestone of 60% of American people having at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, states with low vaccination rates report a stark difference in new cases, CNN reports on a study by the CDC and The Johns Hopkins University.

Seven states have already reached the goal of 70% of adults with at least one vaccination, and they’re seeing new coronavirus infections 10% lower than the national average.  Those states are Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Vermont.  Those states are reporting 66 new cases per 100,000 people, lower than the national average of 73 new cases per 100,000 people.

In the ten states with less than 50% of adults with at least one vaccination–Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming–report 78 new cases per 100,000 people. 

🚨More fentanyl has been captured by the CBP in the 5 months of 2021 than in all of 2020.🚨

— GOP (@GOP) May 19, 2021

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced in a floor statement that he opposes the formation of an independent bipartisan commission to investigate the causes and impact of the January 6th domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol, CNN reports.

“After careful consideration, I’ve made the decision to oppose the House Democrats slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of January 6th.  As everybody surely knows, I repeatedly made my views about the events of January 6th very clear.  I spoke clearly and left no doubt about my conclusions,” McConnell said.

“The facts have come out and will continue to come out,” McConnell added in a self-contradictory statement. 

President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday that he expects to see a “significant de-escalation” in Israel’s military attacks in the skirmish between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Washington Post reports.

In the fourth call between the two leaders since the crisis began, Biden instructed Netanyahu to begin reducing operations in the Gaza area.  Since hostilities started last week, more than 212 people, including 61 children, have been killed, the vast majority of them being Gaza residents.

Not reading it, but I guess the story says the truck was controlled remotely by a Ford employee because Biden old senile blah blah blah. Of course Jim Hoft failed to consider that as recently as August 2020 President Biden was filmed by Fox News on bicycle ride, so it’s pretty fucking dumb – even by the Gateway Pundit’s nearly non-existent standards for logical consistency – to suggest that Biden is incapable of driving a pickup truck if he can ride a bike for miles without being injured.

The push by cultish conservatives in Missouri to designate January 12th each year as “Rush Limbaugh Day” to honor the inflammatory now-dead AM radio show host was quietly pulled from a bill honoring natives of the state Tuesday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The radio host, a native of Cape Girardeau, created a nationally-syndicated AM show that regularly featured racist, sexist and homophobic commentary.  An oxycontin addict, Limbaugh lost his hearing likely because of his drug abuse.  He was also arrested multiple times for illegally obtaining prescription drugs. Limbaugh died in February at the age of 70.

While pulling the Limbaugh honor from the bill, the legislature kept recognition of people and events that would have infuriated Limbaugh:  “Hazel Erby Day,” in honor of former Black female St. Louis County Councilwoman Hazel Erby; “Pioneering Black Women’s Day” to honor former state Sen. Gwen Giles, the first Black woman state senator in Missouri; and “Walthall Moore Day,” for the first Black member of the Missouri General Assembly.

The bill, however, removed a provision to honor legendary journalist Walter Cronkite, a native of St. Joseph, Missouri.

Washington Post: “Less than a week after the failed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, a patient at a dentist’s office in western New York couldn’t believe what was being said nearby. During a routine checkup on Jan. 12, a patient listened in as an alleged rioter who was getting his teeth cleaned bragged about his breach of the building, according to federal authorities. Daniel Warmus, of Alden, N.Y., talked of smoking marijuana inside the Capitol and refusing a police officer’s order to leave the building, and even proudly played a video from Jan. 6, a federal complaint states.”

“After the patient ‘overheard Warmus talking about his experience while at a dentist’s office,’ the person, who authorities said wished to remain anonymous, alerted the FBI and passed along Warmus’s phone number and home address. That mundane trip to the dentist’s office led to an investigation that concluded this week with Warmus, 37, in police custody. Warmus was arrested Tuesday in Buffalo for his role in the Capitol riot, joining more than 410 people who’ve been arrested since Jan. 6. He’s been charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building without lawful authority and knowingly and with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of government business.”

“A South Carolina school bus driver who kept his cool during an armed hijacking hailed all 18 children the real heroes of the high-pressure encounter. Kenneth Corbin spoke exclusively to ‘Good Morning America’ Monday about how he was able to hold off the gunman and what the students said to the man that helped keep them safe for six minutes. ‘The kids were the ones that actually got the gentleman off of the bus and they pretty much had my back as much as my concerns were with them,’ Corbin explained. ‘At the end when they started questioning him, it seemed to have frustrated him because his main objective were to get to the next town, but I think we were only on the road about four miles and he just got frustrated with the questions and just told me to stop the bus and get off. All y’all get off now.’ Police believe Jovan Collazo, the 23-year-old trainee from New Jersey in his third week at Fort Jackson, appeared to be trying to get home. He remains in custody facing two dozen charges, including 19 counts of kidnapping.”

“‘As we were traveling, I guess he realized there were several students on the bus – kind of scattered throughout,’ Corbin said. “He decided to move all the students up front so he could keep us all in close proximity, and when he did that, especially some of my kindergarteners, they started asking questions.’ The students, according to Corbin, asked if the man was a soldier to which he ‘hesitantly answered – ‘yes.” ‘They asked him, ‘Why are you doing this?’ He never did have an answer for this one. They asked, was he going to hurt them? He said ‘No.’ They asked, ‘Are you going to hurt our bus driver?’ He said, ‘No. I’m going to put you off the bus,’’ Corbin recalled. ‘He sensed more questions coming and I guess something clicked in his mind and he said, ‘Enough is enough already,’ and he told me to ‘Stop the bus, and just get off’” – WSB-TV.

Bloomberg: “Two powerful New York prosecutors are now conducting a joint investigation into the possibility that the Trump Organization committed crimes – a development that heightens the legal stakes and possible consequences for a former president who still wields substantial influence over his splintered political party from a perch at his Florida golf resort. New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who had been conducting a civil probe of the Trump Organization, disclosed publicly late Tuesday evening to CNN that she had reshaped her investigation into a criminal prosecution. James’s office said it had already notified the company to that effect and said it had also joined forces with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, whose office has its own longstanding criminal investigation of the Trump Organization under way.”

“Unlike civil cases, which can generally result in fines and other similar penalties, criminal cases carry the threat of a prison sentence if a defendant is found guilty. For that reason, a successful criminal prosecution has to demonstrate a defendant’s ‘intent’ to commit a crime – proof of acting with the knowledge that he or she broke the law. It’s a higher legal threshold for prosecutors to overcome, because the penalty imposed is more serious. All of which suggests that James wouldn’t have converted her case into a criminal prosecution unless she believes she has convincing evidence demonstrating intent. It’s also unusual for prosecutors from different offices to pair up in an investigation. They are normally fiercely protective of their cases, independence and prerogatives. That suggests that James and Vance each believes the other brings unique and added value to their investigations.”

“The rift between Capitol Hill’s two top Republicans over Jan. 6 continues to widen, with one leader signaling openness toward leaving Donald Trump behind and pursuing accountability for the Capitol insurrection, and the other embracing the former president and his fact-free reality as tightly as ever. On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced he would oppose legislation to create an independent, bipartisan commission to fully investigate the Capitol attack, even though the deal creating this commission was four months in the making and brokered by a House GOP committee leader. But just a few hours later, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) didn’t rule out supporting the commission, saying his conference would have to weigh the arguments and read the ‘fine print’ of the deal. ‘We are undecided about the way forward at this point,’ he said at a press conference.”

“That, of course, doesn’t mean McConnell will support the bill creating the panel that passes out of the House over McCarthy’s objections. It’s just that, as McConnell often does, he’s left himself political room to make that decision. He said Tuesday that he’s ‘pushing the pause button’ and is ‘willing to listen’ to arguments about ‘whether such a commission is needed.’ For months, it’s been clear that the GOP’s House and Senate leaders have diverged on Donald Trump, both on his role in fomenting Jan. 6 and on what his role should be in defining the GOP going forward. But the daylight between McConnell and McCarthy on the fate of a high-profile commission – one that figures to keep the insurrection front-and-center and possibly unearth damaging new information about the GOP’s de facto leader – could further fuel divisions in the party” – Daily Beast.

AP: “The search for an armed man who is on a Belgian terror watch list because of his extreme right sympathies and who had threatened several people, including a top virologist, entered a second day on Wednesday. Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne described the man as an ‘acute threat’ and is known for his extreme right sympathies. Earlier this month, he had threatened several people, including Marc Van Ranst, one of the best-known virologists working on containing the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Twitter message early Wednesday, Van Ranst said that ‘let one thing be clear: such threats do not make an impression on me.’ Authorities were centering their efforts to look for the man, who has a military background, in the northeastern part of Belgium in Limburg province. His name wasn’t disclosed in line with Belgian privacy rules.”