A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
‘I Wanted Him To Hear From Me Directly’
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) was among the worst culprits of trying to muddy the waters around the weekend assassination spree of Vance Luther Boelter in Minnesota – and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) was having none of it.
In a memorable image captured Monday on the Hill, Smith was seen confronting Lee about his gross and misleading social posts that seemed to blame the victims and left-wing ideology:
“I wanted him to hear from me directly about how painful that was, and how brutal it was, to see that on what was just a horribly brutal weekend,” Smith told reporters afterward. “He didn’t say a lot, frankly. I think he was a bit stunned.”
One of Smith’s staffers sent a blistering email to Lee’s office, beseeching it to show some restraint:
New Details On Assassination Plot
According to officials, Vance Luther Boelter went to the homes of two other Minnesota lawmakers between the shootings at the homes of the Hoffmans and Hortmans. Other grim details of the the plot were revealed in the affidavit of a FBI agent.
California No Kings Protester Injured
A No Kings protester was seriously injured in a hit-and-run Saturday in Riverside, California, that followed a confrontation between the crowd and the driver of a black SUV. Alexa Carrasco, 21, remains hospitalized. “We want to get out of the woods first,” her uncle, Rosalio Carrasco, told TPM’s Hunter Walker, in a Spanish-language interview last night. “I know many people are helping us with prayers and thats all we care about at this moment.”
Quote Of The Day
“Considered individually, defendants’ legal arguments are meritless. Considered in the aggregate, they are terrifying. Defendants’ interpretation of Section 12406 would empower the President to commandeer a State’s National Guard based merely on evidence that some civilians opposed his authority, disobeyed his commands, or presented operational difficulties for civil law enforcement officials—and without any input from (or even notice to) the Governor. Courts would be powerless to enforce the limits Congress imposed on the President’s exercise of that authority.”–lawyers for California, in a court filing challenging President Trump federalization of the state’s National Guard
Collateral Damage
U.S. citizens of Hispanic descent continue to be entrapped in the Trump administration’s mass deportation operation.
Big White House Flip-Flop On Immigration
The Department of Homeland Security quickly reversed its guidance from just last week that de-emphasized immigration enforcement in the agricultural, hotel, and restaurant industries.
UPDATE: South Sudan Deportees In Djibouti
Lawyers for the cluster of detainees stranded for weeks at a U.S. military base in Djibouti while en route to South Sudan were given contact information for them and a ICE intermediary who can arrange communications, the government told a federal court in Massachusetts in a status update.
Why The Rush?
The Trump administration is trying to sweep the original Abrego Garcia case under the rug before U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis is finished ascertaining whether it was contempt of court for its months of stonewalling her orders. The Trump DOJ has now filed a motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that the administration’s return of Abrego Garcia to the United States to face trumped-up criminal charges deprives Xinis of any further jurisdiction.
For Your Radar …
One of the USAID cases is slowly moving toward possible contempt of court over the failure of the Trump administration to restore funding as ordered by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali of D.C. He has given the administration until next Monday to provide him with the next steps it plans to take to comply with his March 10 preliminary injunction. March 10! It’s June 17, for those keeping track.
Federal Judge Deplores The Racism Of NIH Cuts
U.S. District Judge William Young of Boston voided what he determined were illegal directives to terminate NIH grants meant to address LGBTQ and racial inequalities in health care.
“This represents racial discrimination and discrimination against America’s LGBTQ community,” said Young, an 84-year-old Reagan appointee. “That’s what this is. I would be blind not to call it out. My duty is to call it out — and I do so.”
Doge Watch
- NYT: Inside DOGE’s Chaotic Takeover of Social Security
- Politico: Trump’s cuts bring climate and energy agencies to a standstill, workers say
ABA Sues Trump Over Big Law EOs
The American Bar Association filed a lawsuit on behalf of itself and its members against the Trump administration challenging the executive orders targeting law firms.
Ex-Sen. Menendez Reports To Prison Today
Robert Menendez, the longtime New Jersey Democratic senator convicted on federal bribery charges, is scheduled to report to prison today in Pennsylvania to begin serving an 11-year sentence.
Mike Lindell Hit With $2.3M Defamation Verdict
Dominion Voting Systems employee Eric Coomer won a $2.3 million defamation verdict in federal court in Denver against MyPillow founder Mike Lindell over 2020 Big Lie falsehoods.
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