Drivers hitting protesters is an increasingly common tactic for disrupting anti-racist protests. Several state-level bills give liability shields to these drivers.
In some cases, these driving attacks have been deadly. A Missouri bill, which has passed both chambers of the state legislature, would protect drivers who hit demonstrators in some circumstances.
Emails we obtained show Missouri Senator Rick Brattin’s support of a liability shield bill.
In an email to Sen. Brattin, a constituent said “I support your bill allowing deadly force against demonstrators.”
This exchange highlights the danger in anti-protest bills: that citizens will interpret the legislation to mean they are “allowed” to hit and even kill people protesting racism.
Voting rights have been increasingly under attack in the last decade.
This week, the Supreme Court will rule on a case that could undermine the remaining key provision of the Voting Rights Act.
The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 to prevent racially discriminatory voting policies. For decades, it has countered discrimination and removed voting barriers across the country.
But in 2013, the Supreme Court gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, ruling in Shelby County v. Holder that states and localities with a history of voter discrimination no longer had to obtain DOJ approval to change voting procedures.
Today, the House will vote on legislation that would create a select committee to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection.
Numerous questions remain about that day. Here’s what we still don’t know — and how we’re investigating. THREAD americanoversight.org/open-questions…
1. White House Actions: How did the Trump White House respond to the attack and why was there a delay in authorizing the deployment of National Guard troops to assist at the Capitol?
While watching the events unfold, Pres. Trump reportedly took little action as the situation escalated. Two hours after the first barriers were breached, the White House released a video in which Trump told the rioters to “go home,” adding, “We love you. You’re very special.”
More than two months into Arizona’s sham “audit,” we still don’t know:
-how much it costs
-where the money raised for it is going
-what lawmakers are saying about it over text and email
-who is running its social media azcentral.com/story/news/loc…
We’re investigating. We’ve filed over a dozen records requests to learn more about the partisan process & in May we sued Arizona’s Senate for related records.
So far, we’ve obtained records showing Senate Pres. Karen Fann’s contact with Rudy Giuliani & conspiracy theorists.
We also uncovered that Donald Trump called Fann to thank her for “pushing to prove any fraud.”
Specifically, we asked the office for directives regarding testing” or “Measures to review and/or expedite applications for limited release, temporary release, leaves of absence, medical parole, commutations, and clemencies during the pandemic.”
We also asked for assessments regarding the risks of Covid-19 to correctional facilities, including those addressing morbidity or mortality risks, the availability of PPE and medical equipment. Again, the office told us it had no such records. americanoversight.org/document/no-re…
As in previous productions released in response to American Oversight’s requests for records, the latest documents show Fann fielding emails from conspiracy theorists. americanoversight.org/arizona-senate…
Security at Arizona’s bogus “audit” is being handled by private groups, and we’ve uncovered more details about the agreements under which they’re operating, reports the @azmirror. azmirror.com/2021/06/23/doc…
Much of the Senate’s sham process, from issues regarding how it’s being funded to the extent of certain groups’ involvement, has been shrouded in secrecy. Outside organizations have been raising money for the recount.
The newly released documents contain service agreements with groups providing security for the operation, including Anderson Security Agency, Law Enforcement Specialists, and the armed volunteer organization the Arizona Rangers. americanoversight.org/newly-released…