MAGA in the States: Ripping Away Freedoms, Spreading Lies, and Embracing Violence

Donald Trump and his MAGA allies’ deeply unpopular policies are only rivaled by their deep dysfunction. Across the states, Trump’s Republican party doubled down on their MAGA madness – from supporting extreme abortion bans with no exception for rape or incest to employing dangerous individuals who threaten to kill law enforcement. 

Take a look at the latest:

Trump is responsible for the cruel abortion ban in Arizona that makes no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the mother. No amount of spin or lies from him or MAGA Republicans will change that.

Axios: GOP suffers desert meltdown on abortion

“A day after former President Trump thought he’d tamped down the GOP’s exposure on abortion, it popped back up in the key 2024 battleground of Arizona.

“Why it matters: Trump ushered in the end of Roe vs. Wade and its national protection of abortion rights, and now his party is suffering a massive voter backlash.

“Abortion rights have yet to lose since the end of Roe when the decision has been up to voters instead of legislators or courts. The big picture: Despite the backlash, state-level Republicans have responded to the end of Roe by pushing extremely strict restrictions on abortion, including many that effectively outlaw the practice.

“The Arizona Supreme Court, controlled by GOP-appointed justices, upheld today a 1864 law that allowed abortion only to save the life of the mother.

“Between the lines: The state court ruling creates a stark contrast in November.

“Republicans have ushered in a near-total ban.

“Democrats are pushing a state constitutional amendment for the ballot to protect abortion rights up to 24 weeks.”

New York Times: Kari Lake Called Arizona’s Abortion Ban a ‘Great Law,’ but Now She Denounces It

“Kari Lake, the leading Republican candidate for Senate in Arizona, was quick to denounce the state Supreme Court’s ruling upholding an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions in the state. The law is ‘out of step with Arizonans,’ she said in a statement. She called on state lawmakers to ‘come up’ with a ‘solution that Arizonans can support.’

“But Ms. Lake, an ally of former President Donald J. Trump and a 2020 election denier, had voiced enthusiastic support for the law less than two years ago, when she was in the midst of a scorched-earth campaign for the Republican nomination for governor. Asked then what she thought of the ban, she said she was thrilled it existed and called a ‘great law.’”

Copper Courier: Arizona Republicans rush to distance themselves from abortion ban they fought for

“Arizona lawmakers with an extensive history of opposition to abortion-related healthcare spent Tuesday deriding the state’s newly reinstated, total abortion ban.

“But those who passed the 15-week ban made clear the eventual goal was to ban abortion services entirely. Three months after Republicans passed the 15-week ban, Queen Creek Sen. Jake Hoffman prepared to introduce a new bill to ban abortion entirely.

“When conflict arose surrounding the bill—Republican House Majority Leader Ben Toma wouldn’t bring the bill to a vote over worries its introduction could signal that the 1864 ban was no longer legally sound—the two nearly got into a physical altercation to prove who was the most anti-abortion.

‘I’m more pro-life than you will ever be!’ Toma shouted on the House floor. ‘I’ve done more to help life than you ever will.’

“Toma, who later explained that all Republican legislators support a total ban but need to be more strategic about implementing one, has now toned down his support considerably, while still not taking a total ban off the table.”

The laundry list of Donald Trump’s ties to dangerous, violent individuals keeps getting longer as new reporting revealed one of his campaign chairs had inappropriate relationship with a teen girl and threatened to murder police officers and rape the chief’s wife and children. 

Granite Post: State Rep who threatened shooting spree of police is a NH Trump campaign chair

“New Hampshire State Representative Jonathan Stone, who was last week revealed to have been terminated as a police officer following an investigation into his relationship with a minor and threats of mass shootings and rape, has multiple ties to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign in the state.

“Trump personally identified Stone as his campaign chair for Sullivan County during a speech in late 2023 in Claremont, where Rep. Stone is based, and thanked him for his work on the campaign.

“Stone spoke on behalf of the Trump campaign on multiple news reports ahead of the New Hampshire primary, including one on WCAX as recently as January of this year. In one report, he previewed a Trump visit to the region, where it was mentioned Stone had been connected to the Trump campaign going back as far as his 2016 presidential campaign.”

In peak extremism, MAGA Republicans continue to falsely spread lies about the 2020 election. 

Missouri Independent: Republican National Committee courts election conspiracy theorists to help watch polls

“As the Republican National Committee ramps up plans to monitor the polls for illegal voting this fall, the national party is increasingly working with a loose network of anti-fraud extremists who have been found to routinely spread election lies. 

“The extremists also have close ties to the prominent far-right conspiracy theorists who tried to overturn the 2020 results of the presidential election.

“The director of the Republican National Committee’s department for ‘election integrity’ — tighter voting rules that prioritize anti-fraud measures over access — spoke at an April 4 online meeting hosted by two Florida activists who are close allies of the pillow entrepreneur and leading election-conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell.”

Alabama Reflector: Republicans scrutinize voting rolls and ramp up for mass challenges ahead of election

“In the chaotic aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, he believed that too many of his fellow Republicans were convinced that there was widespread voter fraud. By keeping voter rolls current, Hoen thought he could restore voter trust in his county’s election system.

“Hoen was surprised, then, to be named in a lawsuit the Republican National Committee and the Nevada Republican Party filed last month against him, four other Nevada county clerks and the secretary of state. The lawsuit alleges that five localities had ‘inordinately high’ voter registration rates, and that the state is violating federal law by not having what are known as ‘clean’ voter rolls.

“Hoen said the lawsuit is ‘unfortunate’ and ‘a distraction’ in a pivotal election year. The state responded by saying the data Republicans used in the lawsuit are ‘highly flawed’ and that the RNC’s analysis was like ‘comparing apples to orangutans.’”