Good Morning and welcome to the DDHQ Morning News Spotlight. If you think the Oscars got contentious last night, just wait for the Ohio Republican Senate debate tonight.
Morning Headlines
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- On Friday, Maryland became the latest state to have its Congressional maps struck down in court. The Maryland General Assembly will now have to decide how they will proceed in drawing a new map. Politico takes a look at what is holding up redistricting in four other states. Meanwhile in Ohio, Congressional maps there are still awaiting their fate from the state Supreme Court. The mapmakers hired by the Ohio Redistricting Commission did unveil state legislative maps yesterday, but it is unclear whether those maps will have the full support of the commission. They have until 11:59 p.m. tonight to pass their fourth attempt at state legislative maps.
- Western leaders are distancing themselves from President Biden’s remarks in a speech on Saturday that Russian President Putin cannot stay in power. There is fear in Europe that Putin may see the embrace of regime change as cause to escalate the war beyond Ukraine.
- An NBC poll yesterday shows President Biden’s job approval rating sinking to the lowest point of his presidency. Seven out of ten respondents expressed low confidence in the President’s ability to handle the Russian invasion.
- The White House is expected to unveil a new “Billionaire Minimum Income Tax” plan today. The plan aims to set a minimum 20% income tax on billionaires to raise federal revenue and hopes to revive the President’s Build Back Better agenda stalled earlier this year by Senator Joe Manchin.
- In Alaska US Senate news, state Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson has ended her campaign for US Senate. She was the only Democrat running in the all-party top-four primary where Senator Lisa Murkowski will be facing multiple Republican challenges from the right in her reelection bid. The Alaska Democratic Party says they will have a candidate on the ballot but are not ready to announce one yet. Senator Murkowski is one of the few Republicans in the senate who may vote this week to confirm Ketanji Jackson Brown to the Supreme Court, which could win her some Democratic support at home as the moderate choice in a Republican-controlled state.
- The Ohio Republican Senate debate will be held at 7:00 p.m. tonight at Central State University and hosted by Karen Kasler of the Ohio Statehouse News Bureau. The heat in recent weeks has been turning up between almost all of the major candidates so we expect a lively event this evening. Democrats will hold their Senate debate at 11:30 a.m. today, and their gubernatorial debate at 7 p.m. tomorrow evening. All three debates can be seen at ohiodebatecommission.org.
- Rep. Jeff Fortenberry resigned on Saturday after being convicted last week of lying to the FBI about illegal campaign contributions. His resignation leaves the seat open in Nebraska’s upcoming May 10th primary.
- Lt. Governor of New York Brian Benjamin is under federal investigation for fraudulent campaign contributions related to his unsuccessful 2021 campaign for New York City Comptroller. Lt. Governor Benjamin was appointed to the office late last year by Governor Kathy Hochul.
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