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Evening Wrap

Your daily analysis of trending topics in state government. The snark is nonpartisan.

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HOOOONK

I have less than zero interest in reliving any part of 2020, but 2020 will not be denied, at least politically. This year’s presidential election will almost certainly be a retread of the last one, minus a pandemic and give or take a felony or two. It’s possible the rematch could be derailed — by a criminal conviction, perhaps, or a court decision — but it’s unlikely, given Trump’s massive lead among primary voters and also the thoroughly lackluster performance from his collective opposition. 

The cost of suffering

If you lived in New Mexico and an arsonist burned down your house, state law would let you seek damages for intangible harm — the stress of having to find shelter, the pain of losing most everything you loved, the sorrow of watching your former life blow away, ashes on the wind.

Two updates and then a real update

At least nine state capitols were evacuated Wednesday after a false bomb threat was emailed to legislative staffers and government officials across the country. No explosives were found in any of the buildings, and most of the lockdowns lasted only a few hours, though at least one facility — the Michigan Capitol — remained closed for the day, per the Michigan Advance.

OMG, we're back again

Let’s just get this out of the way: Yes, it is officially a presidential election year. No, we are not going to talk about that today, both because no one wants to talk about that today and also because we need to talk about state legislatures. Thirty-seven (!) of them will reconvene this month, five of which will be underway by the time this newsletter hits your inbox. (What a time to be alive!) 

A brief glimmer of optimism

The next time we see each other, it will be 2024 and officially presidential election season. What an exciting opportunity to watch democracy in action! 

Get out the map

U.S. District Judge Steve Jones vowed Wednesday to decide “very quickly” whether Georgia lawmakers complied with an order to un-gerrymander state legislative and congressional maps, which in court time means “in about a month,” per the Georgia Recorder. Specifically, before Jan. 25, when election officials will begin preparing for the 2024 presidential election.

Regular news day

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday barred Donald Trump from appearing on the state’s presidential primary ballot under the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause, an unprecedented ruling that will inevitably end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 4-3 decision, the court affirmed that Trump engaged in insurrection by fomenting a mob to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, disqualifying him from seeking the presidency under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, per Colorado Newsline.

The wild kingdom

Congress is unlikely to reach a deal on immigration before the holidays, a truly shocking turn of events for a complex and highly polarizing issue that has stymied federal lawmakers for nearly four decades. The impasse is the predictable result of a Republican plan to demand border security measures in exchange for supporting President Joe Biden’s $110 billion supplemental funding package, which includes aid for Ukraine and Israel. Absent a holiday miracle, those negotiations will be punted to January, when lawmakers will also be fighting over funding (or not funding) the federal government, our D.C. bureau reported

Do not solve for x

I may have been sleeping, but I was at least at school, which has become somewhat of an anomaly in Indiana. Last year, 19.3% of the state’s students were chronically absent, down 2.8% from the year before but nowhere near the pre-pandemic rate of 11.2%. It’s a national problem with no clear solution —  and that is a big problem for state Republicans, who are pushing education overhauls they say will improve student literacy rates and career readiness, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.

The long game

Your view of this depends a lot on your politics. More than 70% of Democrats believe K-12 schools have a positive effect on the country, compared to just 37% of Republicans. The parties are even more divided on the societal impact of higher education — 76% of Democrats believe colleges and universities are a benefit to the country; 76% of Republicans view them negatively.

For the kiddos!

When Republicans advance bills that target trans kids or roll back child labor laws, they typically claim it’s to help, or protect, kids. Some of them probably believe that, though it’s hard to understand how. I can’t discern what’s in someone’s heart, but I can debate the merits of legislative proposals — and based on that, it’s hard to understand how Republicans might seriously think they’re helping anyone.

The universe is testing me

The universe is testing me this week, frequently, in a variety of imaginative and infuriating ways, and I am dealing with it (mostly by swearing), but it has not been fun. And that was before this morning, when the U.S. Supreme Court woke up, surveyed the wreckage it made of abortion, cracked its knuckles and decided to do some more damage.