Chris McDaniel's last shot at winning his Mississippi Senate race involves disenfranchising black people so…… he'll win. Some EPA employees have been defecating in their office hallways, though Republicans contend that hallway poop isn't real and is merely a myth drummed up by lefty scientists to advance an agenda. And it looks like economically besieged Cleveland is the favorite to host the 2016 GOP convention. LeBron may not come back, but we hope you accept this influx of 10,000 white people who want to take away your few remaining services. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Wednesday, June 25th, 2014:
WOAH SENATE PASSES BILL - And the House might pass it, too. It's boring to everybody, but still. Maggie Severns: "The Senate passed a jobs bill Wednesday that aims to streamline federal workforce programs and overhaul the job training system for young people with disabilities. The bill sailed through, 95-3, with little opposition following months of pre-conferencing between the House and Senate and a flurry of last-minute wrangling…. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act works to solve a familiar problem: unemployment. It governs a web of federal programs meant to train people and help them find jobs. Its reach is vast: WIOA authorizes employment centers that help with resume writing, job searches, English as a second language instruction and on-the-job training. It has specific programs targeting particularly vulnerable groups, such as laid-off workers and disabled veterans." Politico
The DCCC needs to write some less depressing emails.
BOEHNER CONFIRMS ADMINISTRATION LAWSUIT, WON'T TRY FOR IMPEACHMENT - Glad to see the GOP is keep up the fight against frivolous lawsuits. Igor Bobic: "House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) confirmed Wednesday that he intends to sue the Obama administration over its use of executive actions, which have been used to push through initiatives without congressional approval. 'I am,' he told reporters at a weekly briefing on Capitol Hill. His intention to sue the administration was reported Tuesday. Asked if his plan could lead to impeachment proceedings in the House, as some have called for, Boehner demurred. 'This is not about impeachment,' he said. 'This is about faithfully executing the laws of our country.' The speaker declined to provide details about which executive actions he intends to challenge in court. 'When I make that decision, I'll let you know,' he said, adding that 'when there is conflicts like this between the legislative and administrative branch, it's our responsibility to stand up.' 'We've seen clearly an effort to erode power of the legislative branch,' he added. White House press secretary Josh Earnest dismissed the move on Wednesday, telling reporters that 'most Americans wouldn't support' a 'taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the president of the United States for doing his job.'" [HuffPost]
@HuffPostPol: JUST IN: Rangel defeats Dem primary challenger huff.to/1lQr2oZ
God bless this country: "Former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci says he's making a comeback bid to run Rhode Island's capital city again, 12 years after being sent to prison for corruption. Cianci announced Wednesday on his radio show that he's running for mayor, shortly before a 4 p.m. filing deadline. He says he made the decision with 'much soul-searching and reflection.'" [NBC News]
Good news, Rhode Island felons get their voting rights restored after being freed. Buddy can vote!
DAILY DELANEY DOWNER - The state of Florida will no longer force layoff victims to answer reading and math questions in order to receive unemployment insurance, thanks to legislation recently signed by Gov. Rick Scott (R).... Marty Boscarino of Lantana said she had a hard time establishing her unemployment claim after losing her management job with a telecommunications company in May. "The system was like locking up on me and I knew it wasn’t my connection," Boscarino, 59, told HuffPost. After getting through the test, she struggled to clear up false addresses the system had on file. The online filing scheme had been created, she said, "to make it harder for people who are truly unemployed and down and out to establish a claim." Good that the test is going away, but sad that we live in this world. [HuffPost]
Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill
SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS CELL PHONE PRIVACY - A cop will now need a reason to Times: "In a major statement on privacy rights in the digital age, the Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously ruled that the police need warrants to search the cellphones of people they arrest. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the court, said the vast amount of data contained on modern cellphones must be protected from routine inspection. The old rules, Chief Justice Roberts said, cannot be applied to 'modern cellphones, which are now such a pervasive and insistent part of daily life that the proverbial visitor from Mars might conclude they were an important feature of human anatomy' The courts have long allowed warrantless searches in connection with arrests, saying they are justified by the need to protect police officers and to prevent the destruction of evidence. But Chief Justice Roberts said neither justification made much sense in the context of cellphones. On the other side of the balance, he said, is the data contained on the typical cellphone. Ninety percent of Americans have them, he wrote, and they contain 'a digital record of nearly every aspect of their lives — from the mundane to the intimate.'" [NYT]
District taxi drivers staged an anti-Uber protest today that snarled traffic and made it even harder than it already is to catch a cab. Thanks a lot, guys.
The high court also emboldened Comcast, yet Antonin Scalia was somehow not the one to do it: "The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday handed a high-stakes victory to broadcasters, ruling online video startup Aereo Inc. violated copyrights on their programming. The ruling is a significant blow to Aereo, a service that has allowed subscribers to watch and record their local over-the-air broadcasts from an array of electronic devices. The company aimed to appeal to cord cutters who were seeking Internet-based alternatives to cable television. The broadcasters, including Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, Comcast Corp.'s CMCSA, NBC, CBS Corp. and 21st Century Fox, argued Aereo exploited their programming without authorization, in violation of exclusive rights to the public performance of their works. Shares of CBS, Walt Disney and 21st Century Fox all moved higher on the verdict." [WSJ]
The Redskins hired a liberal blogger to help defend their racist team name.
GAY MARRIAGE BANS STRUCK DOWN IN INDIANA AND UTAH - We're surprised that Utah, which dispatches pairs of men dressed in the same clothes across the globe each year, is opposed to same-sex relationships. Reuters: "A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday found a gay marriage ban in conservative Utah violated the Constitution, saying the heavily Mormon state could not bar same-sex nuptials in a ruling that capped a day of victories for gay couples. The Utah ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver marked the first regional appeals court ruling on gay marriage since the U.S. Supreme Court forced the federal government a year ago to extend benefits to same-sex couples married in states that allow gay marriage. The ruling came as a federal district judge in Indiana joined a growing chorus of jurists who have struck down state gay marriage bans as unconstitutional, in rulings that could substantially expand U.S. gay marriage rights if upheld. 'A state may not deny the issuance of a marriage license to two persons, or refuse to recognize their marriage, based solely upon the sex of the persons in the marriage union,' the 10th Circuit said in its 2-1 ruling on Utah. The court said it was staying its verdict in anticipation of an appeal. In Utah, the attorney general's office said it was reviewing the decision and intended to file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court." [Reuters]
DALLAS & CLEVELAND FINALISTS FOR 2016 GOP CONVENTION - A Dallas convention could feature some great expositions on how whoever shot JR was undoubtedly exercising their Second Amendment rights to self-defense. AP: "Just two cities remain in the sweepstakes to host the Republican Party's next presidential nominating convention. Republican National Committee members on Wednesday named two finalists: Dallas and Cleveland. The decision eliminates Denver and Kansas City, Missouri from the running. Several cities have been competing for months to host the 2016 Republican National Convention, which attracts thousands of political activists, donors and reporters every four years. RNC leaders are expected to select the winning convention site later this summer. 'I can say to my fellow Republicans that we should be excited for the 2016 convention,' said Enid Mickelsen, of Utah, who leads the RNC's site selection committee. 'These world class cities know how to roll out the welcome mat, and more importantly they have the ability to provide our next presidential nominee a launching pad that will put a Republican in the White House in 2016.' Money is a key concern for Republican leaders charged with selecting the site. RNC officials who were forced to divert limited resources toward the last two conventions insist they cannot do so again. Most cities expect a convention price tag of between $55 million and $60 million." [HuffPost]
NRA LOBBYING TO GIVE STALKERS GUNS - Nothing comforts us more than knowing that a person who is the Foursquare mayor of a shrub outside someone's window is armed. Laura Bassett: "The National Rifle Association is fighting proposed federal legislation that would prohibit those convicted of stalking and of domestic violence against dating partners from buying guns, according to a letter obtained by The Huffington Post...S. 1290, introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), would add convicted stalkers to that group of [convicted offenders prohibited from gun purchases] and would expand the current definition of those convicted of domestic violence against 'intimate partners' to include those who harmed dating partners. Aides from two different senators' offices confirm that the NRA sent a letter to lawmakers describing Klobuchar's legislation as 'a bill to turn disputes between family members and social acquaintances into lifetime firearm prohibitions.' The nation's largest gun lobby wrote that it 'strongly opposes' the bill because the measure 'manipulates emotionally compelling issues such as 'domestic violence' and 'stalking' simply to cast as wide a net as possible for federal firearm prohibitions.' The NRA's letter imagines a 'single shoving match' between two gay men as an example of how the domestic violence legislation could be misused. 'Under S. 1290, for example, two men of equal size, strength, and economic status joined by a civil union or merely engaged (or formerly engaged) in an intimate 'social relationship,' could be subject to this prohibition for conviction of simple 'assault' arising from a single shoving match,' the letter says." [HuffPost]
CHRIS MCDANIEL'S CAMPAIGN CAN'T HEAR YOU! LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA - WaPo: "The McDaniel campaign has not responded to a request for comment about what means of recourse the candidate plans to seek but the avenues to challenge the vote seem decidedly limited. Mississippi is one of two states — the other one is Hawaii — which do not have a recount procedure spelled out in the state law books. Candidates in Mississippi are allowed to challenge results in the courts. McDaniel's cri de coeur about Republican voters refers to the Cochran campaign's last minute "get out the vote" drive targeted at Democrats — especially black voters. In Mississippi, however, Republican voters don't need to decide the Republican primary for the votes to be valid. The state lacks voter registration by party; under state law, anyone who didn't vote in the June 3 Democratic primary was eligible to vote in the June 24 Republican runoff. Cochran used this fact to his great advantage in the senate primary run-off. There is one section of Mississippi election law that the McDaniel team seems to think could work to their advantage. That section reads: 'No person shall be eligible to participate in any primary election unless he intends to support the nominations made in which he participates.' In other words, if the Democratic voters who helped Cochran win plan to vote for his opponent, former Rep. Travis Childers, in the fall, that would, theoretically, be against Mississippi law." [WaPo]
The Mississippi NAACP would like Thad Cochran to show some reciprocity.
Oh Joe: "[Katy Perry] is taking pics with Vice President Biden and posting them on Instagram.”Brought my pink pony to the White House to holler @VP Joe Biden,” Perry wrote with a postscript. 'He made me call my 93-year-old grandma to thank her for my baby blue eyes! What a Q-T.' Biden’s office told CNN that the vice president and his granddaughter are Perry fans." [USA Today]
HOUSE GOP KILLS D.C.'S BUZZ - Next thing you know Andy Harris will bust into Tryst and take all their chocolate chip cookies... not that we're urging high people to buy them or anything. WaPo: "House Republicans on Wednesday blocked funding for a new D.C. law that would have eliminated criminal penalties for possessing marijuana, leaving the fate of the measure up to budget negotiations between the House and Senate. The move is a defeat to D.C. lawmakers who had argued that ending jail time was necessary to combat deep racial disparity in drug sentencing in the nation’s capital. The effort to halt the measure was led by Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland’s only Republican in Congress. Maryland recently joined 17 other states in passing a law to eliminate jail time for marijuana possession. But Harris argued that the D.C. law was 'bad policy,' assessing a fine of just $25 for pot possession and not requiring teens to attend drug treatment. A doctor by training, Harris lectured House lawmakers on what he said were the medical dangers of marijuana, especially on fetal brain development...It was one of several so-called “riders” on the spending bill that covers appropriations for the District. Other perennial riders that were introduced sought to block D.C. from spending money on abortions for low-income residents and even to cut funding for most D.C. police officers to drive their cruisers to and from their homes." [WaPo]
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Here is a tiger mom... that's also a duck.
THE EPA HAS A HALLWAY POOP PROBLEM - Christ almighty the agency's water-saving initiatives have gone too far. Government Executive: "Environmental Protection Agency workers have done some odd things recently. Contractors built secret man caves in an EPA warehouse, an employee pretended to work for the CIA to get unlimited vacations and one worker even spent most of his time on the clock looking at pornography. It appears, however, that a regional office has reached a new low: Management for Region 8 in Denver, Colo., wrote an email earlier this year to all staff in the area pleading with them to stop inappropriate bathroom behavior, including defecating in the hallway. In the email, obtained by Government Executive, Deputy Regional Administrator Howard Cantor mentioned 'several incidents' in the building, including clogging the toilets with paper towels and 'an individual placing feces in the hallway' outside the restroom." [Govexec]
COMFORT FOOD
- There is now a mobile game based on Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks. [http://bit.ly/1jOyoVRhttp://bit.ly/1jOyoVR]
- A psychological examination of Luis Suarez's biting habit. [http://bit.ly/1jOxokK]
- An illustrated map of Chicago from 1931 detailing where gang activity occurred. [http://slate.me/1pOAv1N]
- Stars from the Honest Hollywood Walk of Fame. [http://some.ly/1qJlpfV]
- A remake of "Today Was A Good Day" but about the internet. [http://bit.ly/1jiRxPZ]
- An honest trailer "Forrest Gump." [http://huff.to/1mfhCzg]
- Baby tastes lemon. [http://huff.to/1mfiXGf]
TWITTERAMA
@pourmecoffee: I have a learning disability where I read anything that starts "An Open Letter To..." as "Delete Me."
@aburnspolitico: For god's sake @Reince, we'd all like to flee to the Cleve, club up at the Flats, have lunch with Little Richard. We fight those urges.
@CuffyMeh: RT @VP Settle down, folks. I've been pooping behind Union Station for 30 years.
Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com), Ryan Grim (ryan@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@huffingtonpost.com). Sign up here: http://huff.to/an2k2e