Corruption is as American as apple pie - Al Jazeera English

On September 22, influential United States Senator Bob Menendez was indicted on corruption charges along with his wife, Nadine. It is the second time Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has faced such charges.

Al Jazeera (Opinion)     Sep 28, 2023

The Supreme Court will hear social media cases with immense free speech implications

tech

On Friday, the US Supreme Court agreed to take on two landmark social media cases with enormous implications for online speech, as reported by The Washington Post. The conservative-dominated court will determine if laws passed by Texas and Florida are violating First Amendment rights by requiring social platforms to host content they would otherwise block.

Engadget     Sep 29, 2023

Gov. Greg Abbott says special lawmaking session will begin on Oct. 9, likely on school vouchers

The session comes as a rift between the Texas House and the Senate grew following Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial, raising questions about the chambers’ ability to compromise on education issues. The governor has threatened to call for more special sessions if lawmakers fail to pass a “school choice” proposal.

Texas Tribune     Sep 30, 2023

Yelp sues Texas for right to publish actual accurate abortion info

So much for that free speech, huh? Yelp has sued Texas' Attorney General Ken Paxton to prevent him from punishing the reviews website for labeling Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) to indicate that they do not actually offer abortion services.…

The Register     Sep 28, 2023

Rep. Crockett has 5 minutes of mic-drop moments during impeachment hearing

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas stepped into the spotlight during the Republican sham-impeachment inquiry on Thursday. She began by modestly reminding everyone that the so-called “evidence” the Republicans keep pointing to is not evidence at all, and never has been. “Repeating the same lies will not somehow turn them into truths,” she said. Then Crockett turned up the heat: “Kind of like the election that Trump lost. Say it with me: He lost it. Repeating the same lie that he won wasn't going to turn the election around.” Hot enough? How about this: “The ‘lost’ in this chamber keep pushing lies and lunacy on behalf of a multitime loser.” That’s minute one.

Daily Kos     Sep 28, 2023