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WATCH LIVE: Mississippi House About To Hold Final Vote on Hateful Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill

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State Chamber of Commerce, Dozens of Businesses Come Out Against HB 1523

LGBT advocates have been protesting a hateful anti-LGBT “religious freedom” bill outside the Mississippi Capitol on Monday. 

Meanwhile, the state’s chamber of commerce, along with dozens of businesses and other organizations, have come out against HB 1523, known as the “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act.”

The Mississippi House voted 68-44 on Friday to send HB 1523 to the desk of Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, but the bill was held on a motion to reconsider that’s expected to be dealt with Monday afternoon. Bryant has said he doesn’t believe the bill is discriminatory, but hasn’t indicated whether he’ll sign it. 

Earlier Monday, representatives from the Human Rights Campaign, the ACLU of Mississippi, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Planned Parenthood and staged a joint press conference in Jackson, where they called on House Speaker Phil Gunn, the author of the bill, not to take it up for a final vote, and for Bryant to veto it should it reach his desk. 

Last week, the Mississippi Economic Council, the state’s chamber of commerce, said it “opposes efforts that would intentionally or unintentionally prevent Mississippi businesses from implementing and enforcing non-discrimination policies or that would limit diversity and inclusion impacting their customers and employees.” 

“HB 1523 conflicts with this policy,” the Economic Council said. 

Numerous individual businesses have also come out against HB 1523, including the state’s largest private employer, Nissan Group of North America, as well as Tyson Foods Inc., MGM Resorts International, Toyota , AT&T, IBM, Levi Strauss and MassMutual, according to HRC. (The Jackson Free Press has list of businesses and other organizations opposed to the bill.)

“They know it’s not good for their employees,” HRC President Chad Griffin said at Monday’s press conference, according to The Clarion Ledger. Griffin said called HB 1523 “a draconian measure that would allow businesses to discriminate by denying services to the LGBT community, legalize Kim Davis-style discrimination on the job, and give taxpayer-funded organizations the right to deny critical services like counseling and mental health care to LGBT people in need.”   

In an editorial published Friday, The Sun Herald of Biloxi wrote that Gunn has led the state into a “legal, moral and ethical swamp.” 

“Condemnation of Gunn’s handiwork has been swift and widespread on social media, which for better or worse, is a major molder of public opinion,” the Sun Herald Editorial Board writes. “But Mississippi officialdom’s attitude has been to shrug off criticism, be it for its flag, its Wild West gun laws or the Confederate emblem on its flag. And it continues to dwell near the bottom on most quality of life measures, be it health care, education, or jobs. This law will only make it harder to row against that tide.”

Rt. Rev. Brian R. Seage, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi, is also calling on Bryant to veto the bill. 

“I am aware that some Christian bodies say this legislation is needed,” Seage wrote. “I disagree. It addresses a conflict which does not exist. The Episcopal Church embraces all persons who seek to follow our Lord, and we honor all persons who yearn for equality in this society. Our doors remain open to all God’s children.” 

The House is scheduled to convene at 4 p.m. Central time today. Watch the proceedings live here. 

UPDATE– BREAKING: Mississippi House Sends Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill to Gov. Phil Bryant

 

Image by Blake Feldman via Twitter 

 

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Reporters Reveal Some Republicans Don’t Understand What a Default Means – and Don’t Believe the Debt Ceiling Is Real

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CNN’s Jim Acosta and John Avlon compared notes on Republicans speaking on raising the debt ceiling over the weekend only to realize that the far-right members refuse to support the deal between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden.

Acosta cited an interview he conducted Saturday with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), who said he’s voted for shutdowns and would vote again this week.

After ranting about cutting spending, Acosta said, “Well, you can have the argument about cutting spending during the budget and appropriations process, but as you know, Congressman, the U.S. has never missed making payments on its bills before. In the last 45 years, Congress has raised the debt ceiling 65 times. So, again, I go back to the question: is it responsible — I understand what you’re saying about how much your daughter spends, but we’re not talking about $15. We’re talking about the American economy. Is it responsible to be the deciding vote to send the country into default?”

Burchett claimed that the country wasn’t going to be sent into default. He crafted a conspiracy that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen kept changing the date the U.S. default would happen.

“Nobody is, as the young people say, nobody has provided the receipts. Nobody has called her into Washington and said, ‘Show us the math on this,'” he said.

Yellen works at the Treasury Department, which is in Washington.

Burchett also had his own math, saying that if they cut the budget spending to the 2022 levels, the country would be in a surplus. The House passed a massive defense spending package that would have required cuts from other places.

“All they’re doin’ right now is scarin’ people,” Burchett claimed. “They’re talkin’ about cutting programs that have no need other than political cronyism, we’re tellin’ our seniors — and the Democrats will, and I get it — they’re tellin’ the seniors they’re gonna be cut. Veterans are gonna be cut. And nothing can be farther (sic) from the truth. And that’s just the reality of politics.”

The reason Democrats were citing cuts to seniors and veterans goes back to the Republican Party budget bill that required cuts to seniors and veterans. That’s because returning to the 2022 budget levels means making cuts to increases already passed by Congress.

Acosta turned back to Burchett to ask if he believed the debt ceiling wasn’t real.

“I think the debt ceiling is — it’s just a creative thing to hold us into responsible — into check,” said Burchett.

Avlon cited Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), who claimed he refused to sign a bill that would bankrupt the economy.

“Well, hold it right there,” said Avlon. “I mean, if you let the country default on its debt, that’s functionally the same thing.”

An annoyed Avlon was frustrated the process was even something allowed to happen.

“It’s a fact, Congress has to control the pursestrings. So, frankly, someone should figure out the 14th Amendment side of this because I think this is not the way we’re supposed to play ball, the greatest nation in the world constantly every couple of years when there’s a Democratic president flirting with defaulting on our debt because it’s fiscal policy by extortion,” said Avlon. “This is a win to the extent that we came up to a bipartisan agreement, but this is not the way the greatest nation in the world should conduct its fiscal policy. It’s ridiculous. And it didn’t happen when Donald Trump was president because Democrats worked with Republicans to ensure the debt ceiling was raised three times.”

See the discussion below or at the link here.

Image: GOP Rep. Tim Burchett

 

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‘Start the Kevin McCarthy Death-Clock’ After Biden Wins Debt Ceiling Battle: Rick Wilson

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Appearing late Saturday night on MSNBC after it was announced that President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had reached an agreement “in principle’ on a budget deal, former GOP strategist Rick Wilson claimed this could be the beginning of the end for McCathy’s speakership.

Sitting in on a panel with guest host Michael Steele, Wilson suggested that McCarthy’s decision to compromise with the president to avoid a default that would spin the economy into chaos will not go over well with far-right members of his House caucus who could make a motion to “vacate the chair” to express their displeasure.

Asked by host Steel about what comes next, Wilson stated it was a win for the White House which will not make conservatives happy.

RELATED: ‘Crazy cuckoo MAGA people’ could sink debt ceiling deal: Dem strategist

“Great night for Joe Biden, great night for the White House even though I think their messaging has been kind of tentative the past few weeks” the Lincoln Project founder began. “I think though we are now going to start the Kevin McCarthy death-clock. He has certainly got a very angry part of his caucus tonight who probably burning up his phone no matter how good it is for the country not to default.”

“It’s not going to please the chaos caucus in the GOP,” he added.

Watch below or at the link:

 

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Debt Ceiling: McCarthy Faces ‘Lingering Anger’ and a Possible Revolt as Far-Right House Members Start Issuing Threats

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As House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) continues to negotiate a deal to avoid a debt crisis, members of the far-right Freedom Caucus are growing furious with him over broken promises he made to them.

According to MSNBC political analyst Steve Benen, with a slim GOP majority in the House, McCarthy is walking a tightrope to get a budget deal passed and may need help from House Democrats if members of his caucus refuse to go along with him.

As Benen points out, in order to win the speakership McCarthy agreed to an easier path for a motion to “vacate the chair” which could end his tenure as Speaker. That could come into play if the Freedom Caucus stages a revolt.

“… as the negotiations approach an apparent finish line, the House Republicans’ most radical faction is learning that it isn’t likely to get everything its members demanded — and for the Freedom Caucus, that’s not going to work,” he wrote in his MSNBC column.

ALSO IN THE NEWS: Trump in danger of heightened espionage charges after bombshell report: legal expert

Citing a Washington Times report that stated, “[Freedom Caucus members] want everything from the debt limit bill passed by the House last month plus several new concessions from the White House,” Benen suggested far-right House Republicans are now issuing veiled threats.

In an interview, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) stated, “I am going to have to go have some blunt conversations with my colleagues and the leadership team. I don’t like the direction they are headed.”

With Politico reporting, “The [House Freedom Caucus] was already unlikely to support a final bipartisan deal, but lingering anger with Kevin McCarthy could have lasting implications on his speakership,” Benen added, “If this is simply a matter of lingering ill-will from members who come to believe that GOP leaders ‘caved,’ the practical consequences might be limited. But let’s also not forget that McCarthy, while begging his own members for their support during his protracted fight for the speaker’s gavel, agreed to tweak the motion-to-vacate-the-chair rules, which at least in theory, would make it easier for angry House Republicans to try to oust McCarthy from his leadership position.”

Adding the caveat that he is not predicting an imminent McCarthy ouster he added, “But if the scope of the Freedom Caucus’ discontent reaches a fever pitch, a hypothetical deal clears thanks to significant Democratic support, don’t be surprised if we all start hearing the phrase ‘vacate the chair” a lot more frequently.”

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