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Following the vote last week by the Federal Communication Commission to unwind the net neutrality rules enacted during the Obamaadministration, House Republican lawmakers received an email from GOP leadership on how to defend the decision. The email wasshared with The Intercept and the Center for Media and Democracy.

Net neutrality is the principle that internet service providers must treat all web traffic in the same way.If the FCC eventually undoes the Obama-era regulations in their entirety, anISPlike Comcast could demand thatwebsitespay it fees in order not to slow or block them. Large companies like Facebook would easily be able to afford such charges, but smaller companies might not, creating an uneven playing field.

Want more information on the net neutrality discussion? wrote Washington state Rep.Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of theHouse Republican Conference. Here is a nifty toolkit with news resources, myth vs reality information, what others are saying, and free market comments.

The attached packet of talking points came directly from the cable industry.

The metadata of the documentshows it was created by Kerry Landon, the assistant director of industry grassroots at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, a trade group that lobbies on behalf ofComcast, Cox Communications, Charter, and other cable industry companies. The document was shared with House Republican leaders viaBroadband for America, a nonprofit largely funded by the NCTA.

The FCC is wisely repealing the reckless decision of its predecessors to regulate competing internet service providers, reads one of the documents talking points. We rightly protest when governments around the world seek to place political controls over the internet, and the same should apply here in America, according toanother.

The document also refers GOP caucus members to quotes they can use from other industry-funded nonprofits to defend the decision to repeal net neutrality through the rollback of Title II reclassification.

To respond to the myth that only internet providers oppose utility regulation, the document suggests citing a number of civil rights organizations that have opposed net neutrality.

The same groups cited by the talking points, however, are heavily funded by ISP companies, including AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast, and the group that mobilized certain civil rights leaders to sign onto a campaign against net neutrality has a long history of work on behalf of the cable industry.

NCTA is one of hundreds of organizations engaged in public policy on communications, technology and media and it is common practice to provide policymakers with information and background on key issues, said Joy Sims, a spokesperson for NCTA. We are always happy to provide briefings, materials and other information to the media, policymakers and others.

Broadband for America, the cable industry-funded group that passed the document to House Republicans,has long acted as a go-between for cable industry money to flow to allied pundits, lobbyists, and consultants.

The organization has enlisteda bipartisan set of talking heads to speak out against net neutrality. Harold Ford, the former Democratic lawmaker, and John Sununu, the former Republican senator, have been paid handsomely by the group while appearing in the media to warn about the dangers of adopting net neutrality.

Broadband for America has also retained a broad set of consultants to influence the telecom policy debate. The DCI Group, a Republican firm that specializes in astroturf campaigns designed to create fake grassroots support for political clients, has been paid at least$8,284,685 since 2012. SKD Knickerbocker, a firm founded by prominent Democrats, has receivedat least $3.1 millionfrom Broadband for America.

In 2014, Broadband for America touted a lengthy list of allied groups that shared their opposition to net neutrality rules. But many of the groups on the list, includingthe Ohio chapter of League of Conservation Voters and a radio program dedicated to supporting veterans, said they were added to the list without their knowledge.

Rep. McMorris Rodgers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Update: May 23, 2017, 12:28pm. This piece was updated to include a comment from NCTA.

Top photo: The hearing room at the Federal Communications Commission headquarters in Washington, on Feb. 26, 2015.

Read the original here:
Cable Industry Lobbyists Write Republican Talking Points on Net Neutrality - The Intercept

By Lawrence Hurley | WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that Republicans in North Carolina unlawfully took race into consideration when drawing congressional district boundaries, concentrating black voters in an improper bid to diminish their overall political clout.

The justices upheld a lower court's February 2016 ruling that threw out two majority-black U.S. House of Representatives districts because Republican lawmakers improperly used race as a factor when redrawing the legislative map after the 2010 census. The court was unanimous on upholding the ruling on one of the districts and split 5-3 on the other, with three conservatives dissenting.

"The North Carolina Republican legislature tried to rig congressional elections by drawing unconstitutional districts that discriminated against African-Americans and that's wrong," North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat took office in January, said in a statement.

The decision came in one of a number of lawsuits accusing Republicans of taking steps at the state level to disenfranchise black and other minority voters who tend to back Democratic candidates.

Critics accused Republicans of cramming black voters into what the NAACP civil rights group called "apartheid voting districts" to diminish their voting power and make surrounding districts more white and more likely to support Republicans. Both districts are held by the Democrats. Of North Carolina's 13 representatives in the U.S. House, 10 are Republican.

Race can be considered in redrawing boundaries of voting districts only in certain instances, such as when states are seeking to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act. That law protects minority voters and was enacted to address a history of racial discrimination in voting, especially in Southern states.

Democrats have accused Republicans of taking a number of steps at the state level, also including laws imposing new requirements on voters such as presenting certain types of government-issued identification, in a bid to suppress the vote of minorities, the poor and others who generally favor Democratic candidates.

Republicans have said the laws are needed to prevent voter fraud.

The Supreme Court has never said legislative districts cannot be mapped based on plainly partisan aims like maximizing one party's election chances. North Carolina Republicans said one of the two districts, called the 12th congressional district, was drawn on purely partisan grounds to benefit Republicans at the expense of Democrats, and the other was drawn to comply with the demands of the Voting Rights Act.

'DISPOSABLE HOUSEHOLD ITEM '

The split among the justices was over the 12th district, with conservative Justice Samuel Alito writing in dissent that the court should have been bound by an earlier precedent in which a previous version of the same district was challenged. He was joined by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy.

"A precedent of this court should not be treated like a disposable household item -- say a paper plate or a napkin -- to be used once and then tossed in the trash," Alito wrote.

Writing for the court's majority, liberal Justice Elena Kagan countered that evidence at trial "adequately supports the conclusion that race, not politics, accounted for the district's reconfiguration."

Conservative Clarence Thomas, the court's only black justice, joined the court's majority in both parts of the ruling.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, who had not yet joined the court when arguments in the case were heard in December, did not participate in the ruling.

In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to throw out a lower court's decision upholding a similar Republican-backed state legislature redistricting plan in Alabama that crammed black voters into certain districts in a way critics said lessened their influence at the polls.

In another redistricting case, the justices ruled on March 1 that a lower court should reassess whether Virginia's Republican-led legislature unlawfully tried to dilute the clout of black voters when it drew a series of state legislative districts. The justices threw out a decision that had upheld all 12 state legislature districts that were challenged.

Monday's ruling came one week after the justices rebuffed a Republican bid to revive a strict North Carolina voter-identification law that a lower court found deliberately discriminated against black voters, handing a victory to Democrats and civil rights groups.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)

WASHINGTON The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a Republican challenge to a federal campaign finance restriction that prevents political parties from raising unlimited amounts of cash to spend on supporting candidates.

WASHINGTON The Trump administration imposed sanctions on the chief judge and seven other members of Venezuelas Supreme Court on

NEW YORK Lawyers for former New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son Adam on Thursday urged a U.S. appeals court to overturn the two men's corruption convictions in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Originally posted here:
US Supreme Court tosses Republican-drawn North Carolina voting districts - Reuters

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Republican political activist and Suntree resident Robert "Bob" White is running Florida governor

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Robert "Bob" White of Suntree, the chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, has announced his candidacy for Florida governor in 2018.(Photo: FLORIDA TODAY FILE PHOTO)Buy Photo

Republican political activist and Suntree resident Robert"Bob" White this morning announced his candidacy for Florida governor in the 2018 election.

White is the chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida; chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Central East Florida;and founder and former chairman of the Liberty Catalyst Fund.

In his announcement, White cited his work in seeking to stem "the growing influence of special-interest money on the political and legislative process in Florida" and his efforts to push forcampaign finance reform. "For the last eight years I've been going to Tallahassee during the legislative session to promote 'Liberty' issues; limited government, personal freedom and free markets," White said. "I've seen the environment in Tallahassee change dramatically during that time. The people of Florida have lost their voice in the legislative process. It's been drowned out by the dark money politics of the special interests and the politicians that are only too happy to play their game."

Tallahassee Mayor Gillum says he'd be people's governor

White said that, while the "special interests have their champions in Tallahassee, the people of Florida need a champion, too. I will be their voice. I will be their champion."

White is one of 18 candidates for governor listed on the Florida Division of Elections website, seeking to succeed incumbent Gov. Rick Scott, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits. Among the more well-known are Republican Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam; Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum; and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, who is the daughter of former U.S. Sen. and Florida Gov. Bob Graham.

Check floridatoday.com later today for updates.

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 ordberman@floridatoday.com, on Twitter at@bydavebermanand on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/dave.berman.54.

Read or Share this story: http://on.flatoday.com/2rK6Zj5

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Republican Liberty Caucus head White running for governor - Florida Today

New York Times

What Scandal? In Montana Race, a Republican Is All Aboard the Trump Train New York Times The candidate was Greg Gianforte, a Republican running for Congress in Montana's closely watched special election. But if it wasn't immediately obvious where he took his political inspiration, Mr. Gianforte spelled it out in five gold-plated letters ... and more »

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What Scandal? In Montana Race, a Republican Is All Aboard the Trump Train - New York Times

Want to learn how to head off an embarrassment in the Utah Republican Convention when you really believe your man will be booed by upwards of 4,000 hard-core delegates?

You organize your mans appearance very carefully. And you make all kinds of preemptive plans.

That was done by Sen. Orrin Hatchs staff and presumed 2018 campaign manager Dave Hansen at the South Towne Convention Center on Saturday.

Hatch was not booed in the convention. So success!

Well, mostly. But therein lies a tale.

Likewise, GOP Gov. Gary Herbert, for different reasons than Hatchs, was worried about a hostile reception in the before the delegates.

But in the end, both men were met with polite applause but little else.

Hatchs anti-booing plans were the more elaborate than Herberts, that was clear.

UtahPolicy prides itself in showing politicos how the art of politics and campaigning can be managed and behind the scenes in the Hatch case Saturday that was done well.

Not so much with Herbert, but the governor still avoided catcalls.

Heres what they did for Hatch:

Some delegates werent even in the hall yet, but all present were fresh-faced, and not angered by time and/or fights over rules and other stupid stuff.

Then, out comes Hatch, now 83 years old, with just a slight stumble at the top of the stairs.

And there were no boos none. But only a few delegates in the hall stood as most gave polite applause, others sitting on their hands.

Behind Hatch came San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman, who went to jail briefly for fighting federal overlords and land bosses who got more cheers than did Hatch.

Hatch then gave Lyman a signed copy of Trumps national monument investigation order which could lead to the scaling down or even rescinding of the Obama-created Bears Ears National Monument.

And Hatch then walked from the stage he didnt give a speech, probably the first time that has happened in the half-century Hatch has been coming to Utah state GOP conventions.

So success Hatch is not booed, although he wasnt roundly cheered, either.

Herbert faced, possibly, even more hostile faces.

But the temporary convention chair helped out Herbert.

Current Utah national committeeman Thomas Wright, who is also a past state party chair, conducted the meeting -- as (now former) state chair James Evans was running for re-election and so couldnt chair the convention as he normally would.

And Wright, a personal friend of Herberts, came through for the governor by listing many of the governors and Utahs successes over the last eight years before asking Herbert to walk on stage and address the delegates.

It worked. I mean, how can you boo a guy after the master of ceremonies recounts Utahs low unemployment rate, great business climate and leading state economy?

Still, Herberts support of SB54 and the governors refusal to call a special legislative session to outline the voting process to replace U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who will resignJune 30, was a shadow over the whole meeting.

A new bylaw was overwhelming adopted by delegates that says only U.S. House district GOP delegates will pick the partys nominee in a special election.

But that will be ignored under Herberts election plan, unveiledThursday.

SB54 signature-gathering candidates will go on the GOP primary ballot if they qualify by getting 7,000 Republican voters on their petitions.

Both Hatch and Herbert dodged what could have been a black day politically for them both with a little help from their friends.

Some other points in the convention:

Only 2,066 delegates voted in the chairs race, or just over 50 percent of the 4,000 delegates elected in the spring of 2016.

Several delegates gave tearful recounts about family and friends who died or continue to suffer with cancer and seizures and they believe they could have been helped by medical marijuana.

While it was emotional testimony, the libertarian side of the GOP delegates didnt gain favor over the anti-drug element.

Read more:
Top GOP officials head off embarrassment at Saturday's Republican Convention - Utah Policy