U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) on Tuesday spoke about Saturday’s racist mass shooting in a predominantly Black neighborhood supermarket in Buffalo, New York, saying that now is “not the time to politicize this tragedy.” 13 people were shot, 10 of them – all Black – died in a massacre by a self-avowed white supremacist and antisemite who said he specifically chose the location to target Black people.

Stefanik stands accused of promoting the false and racist conspiracy theory known as the “great replacement theory,” which has been promulgated by far-right extremists, white nationalists, and white supremacists, including Fox News propagandist Tucker Carlson more than 400 times.

“I want to take a moment,” Congresswoman Stefanik said Tuesday, “my home state [of] New York, our nation is heartbroken and saddened of the horrific loss of life in Buffalo. This was an act of pure evil and the criminal should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It is not the time to politicize this tragedy.”

“We mourn together as a nation,” Stefanik said during a Republican House leadership press conference announcing the creation of the “Hispanic Leadership Trust.”

Stefanik then went on to promote what she said will be the “most diverse” GOP ever.

President Joe Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and top New York Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, are in Buffalo today to mourn with the families who lost loved ones in Saturday’s targeted massacre.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the mass shooting is being investigated “as a hate crime and an act of racially motivated violent extremism.”

Video of Stefanik’s remarks here.

This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change.

In a 6-3 decision Monday the U.S. Supreme Court handed Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz a lucrative win, declaring a federal rule limiting the amount a candidate who loans money to their own campaign can be repaid violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment.

“With the latest SCOTUS decision to further deregulate campaign finance, the Texas senator will be able pay himself back with fresh donor money,” HuffPost reports, adding that Cruz can now “hit up donors to help pay himself back for the $555,000 he loaned to his campaigns in 2012 and 2018.”

Possibly the most consequential result of the ruling is it “could also enable politicians to personally make money on their campaigns by charging interest on loans later repaid by donors.”

Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion, which was joined by all conservatives on the bench. Justice Elena Kagan authored the minority opinion, which was joined by the liberals.

Today’s final #SCOTUS decision is in FEC v. Cruz, and Ted Cruz wins in his challenge to election loan repayment rules. The decision is 6-3, with Roberts writing for the court and Kagan writing the dissent. https://t.co/RZytMIUuTh pic.twitter.com/6PbkFyuuPn

— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) May 16, 2022

“And as they paid him, so he will pay them,” Justice Kagan, warning of corruption, wrote in her dissent. “In the coming months and years, they receive government benefits ― maybe favorable legislation, maybe prized appointments, maybe lucrative contracts. The politician is happy; the donors are happy. The only loser is the public. It inevitably suffers from government corruption.”

Kagan, in dissent: “The politician is happy; the donors are happy. The only loser is the public.” pic.twitter.com/BHajYAwbWn

— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) May 16, 2022

“Cruz,” HuffPost notes, “will be able to raise $555,000 and put it in his own pocket immediately. For that, he can thank the six conservative justices ― three of whom he voted to confirm.”

This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. 

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday overturned a lower state court’s ruling, declaring Governor Greg Abbott’s order to investigate parents of transgender children for possible child abuse can go back into effect. A lower court ruled the investigations had to cease temporarily. Abbott had filed an emergency appeal.

The New York Times reports “the court said that officials could not resume the investigation into the plaintiffs that had brought the lawsuit, a family and a doctor, acknowledging that the inquiry would cause ‘irreparable harm’ and leaving in place the injunction as their case proceeds to trial.”

It’s unclear currently why the court would allow other investigations to continue while acknowledging the investigation into the plaintiffs would cause harm.

The 12-page ruling appears to focus more on the intricacies of the Texas constitution and what parts of the government have the authority to institute orders such as Governor Abbott’s ordering the state Dept. of Family and Protective Services to perform the investigations.

This is a breaking news and developing story.