Latest news with #Loudermilk
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Public town halls shut down by confrontation shy members of Georgia congressional delegation
A man is arrested during an April town hall for Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Fiery town halls have become the norm, and some lawmakers are opting to avoid them altogether. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder Congressman Barry Loudermilk recently walked into an International House of Pancakes in Woodstock for a meeting with constituents. Loudermilk was the featured speaker for a weekly breakfast meeting series for local conservatives. But Loudermilk says he has no plans to take part in a traditional town hall meeting with constituents. 'We don't right now,' he said in the IHOP parking lot. 'I'm out in the community continuously doing things like this meeting. The town halls we're doing have been pretty open. So we just haven't had any of those old traditional town halls because they have not been productive. It's usually just a chance for people to come in and take over and scream and holler and so we found it more productive to do more smaller venues such as what I'm doing here.' Some of Loudermilk's Georgia Congressional colleagues have first-hand experience with disruptive town hall participants. A tense Roswell town hall for Republican Congressman Rich McCormick of Suwanee helped spur GOP leadership to call on members to tamp down in-person town halls. Last month, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome went ahead with plans for an Acworth town hall, which turned Jerry Springer-esque when multiple protesters were dragged out, shocked with a Taser and arrested. Georgia's Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock faced hecklers at a recent Atlanta town hall, who shouted over him for several minutes in opposition of the senator's vote to sell weapons for Israel to use in Gaza, and fellow Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff faced civil but tense questioning from fired federal workers who questioned his commitment to fighting for them. Similar scenes have played out across the country. Still, it would be hard to characterize the IHOP get-together as 'pretty open.' It was not advertised and an organizer refused to open the meeting to a reporter. In an email to invitees, the organizer, who did not respond to a request to comment, described the breakfasts as 'a shelter in the midst of the storm, a sanctuary, a place of refuge where political points are often fine-tuned, where opposing views are often shared by those elected and candidates alike. We lift high the banner of ethical behavior and encourage building a good reputation upon merit.' 'When, 'It's time to begin,' freewheeling conversations gives way to 'updates,' from Elected and Appointed Officials, Candidates, Lobbyists, Special Groups and Committees, Political Parties, eventually: everyone who wants to share with positive input. So, if you are a positive thinking, politically motivated conservative and looking for a place of encouragement come join us!' the email continues. Earlier this month, Cherokee County Democrats held a mock town hall featuring a cardboard cutout of Waldo, the hard-to-find world traveler from the Where's Waldo books, with Loudermilk's face. Waleska resident Genevieve Hutchings said she's been trying to get in touch with Loudermilk for months and wants him to host a public town hall. 'That's divisive for our county and for our country, if that's his stance, that he's only going to meet the people that agree with him,' she said. 'And how could he possibly govern in a way that's going to be helpful to all of those constituents if he doesn't hear from all of them?' Hutchings was one of a few dozen protesters in downtown Woodstock on a rainy weekend as part of the progressive Indivisible movement, which has hosted larger protests outside Loudermilk's office. Further down the road, Woodstock resident John Thomas held a one-man counterprotest, holding up a sign with the Trump-Vance logo atop a pair of garden gnomes. Thomas said he expects to see members of Congress host town halls as well. 'America was founded on, you know, stump speeches and people standing out there and taking questions and answering questions from all sides. And how else can we, Democrats, Republicans, Independents alike, get a message out and get people to understand our side of the debate, unless we're out there talking to both sides of the aisle?' The Recorder reached out to the offices of each of Georgia's 14 members of Congress about recent or future town halls. Representatives for Greene, and Democrats Nikema Williams of Atlanta and Hank Johnson of Lithonia responded. Greene's office cited her recent Acworth town hall and said she hosts multiple such events per year. Williams' staff sent a list of recent public events, including a traditional town hall in March and other smaller-scale meetings with constituents. Johnson's office said the Congressman has been hosting regular in-person and streamed events, with the next public town hall scheduled for May 28 in Lawrenceville. With most of Georgia's congressional districts safe for either party, politicians are unlikely to face a real threat from the other side, said University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock. That means there's no real incentive for most politicians to face the heat from constituents on the opposite political wavelength. 'I think that would be their assessment, that there's nothing to be gained from it, that the people who would show up and protest are not going to vote for them under any circumstance,' he said. 'Therefore, they figure that their credentials are good for the kinds of voters who would show up in a Republican primary – if they were to get primaried, and certainly incumbents often are not, or at least don't draw serious opponents. So I don't think they're going to be worried about the fact that there may be some media story saying, 'why aren't they holding town halls?'' Democratic members of Congress dealt with the same dynamic when President Barack Obama was in the White House, said Kennesaw State University political science professor and former Cobb County GOP Chair Jason Shepherd. 'This has been kind of going on for a few years now, and Democrats saw this with Obamacare back in 2010 with Democrat members of Congress being shouted down,' he said. 'Now we see it with Republicans, and it makes it impossible for actual constituents, because let's face it, a lot of times the people who show up to town halls and disrupt things don't even live in the district, can't even vote for the member of Congress.' Shepherd said it makes sense for politicians to try to avoid shouty town halls or to replace them with streamed events with pre-screened questions, but doing so is anti-democratic. 'This is part of our democracy,' he said. 'You're not only going up in front of voters every two or six years, but these are your bosses. These are the people whose taxes pay your paycheck.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inside the push and pull to keep GOP Jan. 6 probes alive
Significant differences between Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) are leaving plans for a new House GOP probe into the Jan. 6 Capitol attack in limbo more than two months after it was announced, as the sides collide over a new select subcommittee's scope and authority. Loudermilk, who is supposed to chair the new panel that would be housed under the House Judiciary Committee, is asking for broad jurisdiction and autonomy to go wherever the investigation takes him. 'We're kind of in flux right now, trying to negotiate out some of the jurisdictions,' Loudermilk told me earlier this month. 'I just need to continue on the way we were going before.' Here is Loudermilk's ask: The Georgia congressman wants to keep researching security posture and issues that Republicans have with the original Jan. 6 select committee, which House Democrats controlled from 2021 to 2022. That would include being able to find more videos of depositions conducted by the original committee; pursuing missing documents he believes are at the Department of Homeland Security; and investigating the Metropolitan Police Department's operations. And here is the Speaker's counter: Plans drawn up by the Speaker's office, I'm told, would limit Loudermilk's jurisdiction to that of the House Judiciary Committee. Loudermilk would still have the ability to dig into issues like the search for the suspect who planted pipe bombs, or trying to get more information from the FBI about informants in the crowd. (The Justice Department's inspector general said there were no undercover agents at Jan. 6, but found 23 confidential human sources in connection with the rally.) But this would close off areas of investigation into the Capitol's security posture and the probes into the previous Democratic-run Jan. 6 panel. Some of the delay is related to Johnson's schedule. The Speaker has been busy trying to prevent a government shutdown and working on a framework to pass President Trump's legislative agenda. There is major interest in the panel from the inmate-turned-activist Jan. 6 defendants who got pardons or commutations from Trump — some of whom have already been communicating with Loudermilk's office about information they want to share. 'I personally have spoken with [Loudermilk's] office, and others have, and they've expressed to us that they want to have an open and honest investigation, and we want the same thing,' said Brian Mock, who was originally sentenced to 33 months in prison in connection with Jan. 6 before securing early release in January. 'We need to explore every avenue, and until we've done that through investigation, and the Jan. 6 community is satisfied that that's been done honestly and openly, we're going to keep screaming about having it done because our lives have been ruined over this.' Mock (who I met at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year) is now chair of the civil rights division of the veteran-focused On Your Six Foundation. He'll be among those hosting a press conference on the west side of the Capitol on Thursday afternoon about prison reform and post-pardon activism. With President Trump still fixated on Jan. 6 and retribution — most recently signaling support for 'compensation' for Jan. 6 pardonees — there are major questions about how deep any new committee would dig into the old Jan. 6 panel if given the opportunity. Trump declared former President Biden's last-minute pardons for its members such as former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) to be 'void.' Loudermilk's previous panel released an 'interim report' in December that recommended a criminal investigation into Cheney, accusing her of witness tampering by being in touch with star hearing witness Cassidy Hutchinson. There is some personal bad blood there, too: Loudermilk himself was subject to the investigation by the original Jan. 6 committee, which asked Loudermilk to appear voluntarily to explain a tour he gave in the Capitol complex on Jan. 5, 2021 — a request he said was meant to push a 'false narrative.'DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ELIMINATION LEGISLATION — Try saying that three times fast. Trump's plans for dismantling the Department of Education kicked off with an executive order that he signed last week, but it would take action from Congress to officially axe it. That's a steep task. Even before considering the high bar of the 60-vote threshold in the Senate, it is far from clear it would get support in the slim House GOP majority. Take a look at this House amendment vote from 2023, on adding a 'sense of Congress' that the authority of the Department of Education should be terminated: 161 Republicans voted in favor of that amendment, and 60 opposed it. Still, Republicans have several options to choose from if they want to pursue a vote. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has introduced a one-sentence bill to eliminate the Department of Education multiple times over the past several Congresses, carrying on a tradition from former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas). His son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), has introduced the one-sentence bill in the Senate. Massie, though, predicted that GOP leaders might go with some other piece of legislation: 'The bill they pick is probably not going to be my bill, just going out on a limb and guessing given my recent exchanges with Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.' (More on that rocky Massie-Trump relationship here.) Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.) has introduced the States' Education Reclamation Act, a measure he's previously offered in multiple Congresses. That bill would eliminate the department and reappropriate its funding proportionally back to the states for education purposes, and it would transfer some of the department's authorities to other agencies. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced a more substantial piece of legislation, the Returning Education to Our States Act, to eliminate the Department of Education last year, which would redistribute a number of different programs to different departments. And Rep. Michael Rulli (R-Ohio) is also reportedly planning to introduce another bill to codify Trump's plans to eliminate the Department of Education.1. SIGNALGATE — Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy said Trump should fire national security adviser Mike Waltz over his accidentally adding The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg to the infamous Signal group chat, or maybe Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling the situation a 'f‑‑‑ up of epic proportions.' In a lengthy video posted on the social platform X, Portnoy said: 'Trump, you may love Michael Waltz. You love Pete Hegseth. You may love these guys. Somebody has to go down.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, asked about the comment, said she had 'great respect' for Portnoy but pointed to a response saying Trump has confidence in his Cabinet members. 2. SODAGATE — It sure looks like that some kind of big soda or beverage interests were possibly paying conservative influencers to make posts in opposition of a proposal to stop Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from being used to buy soda — seemingly aimed at driving a wedge between the 'Make America Healthy Again' and MAGA alliance. 3. PARENTAL PROXY VOTING DRAMA — House Republicans are battling over whether and how to squash a looming vote on allowing new parents to vote by proxy, after Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) circumvented leadership by using a rarely successful legislative tool to force action on what would be a historic rule change. A defiant Luna said: 'If they want to play hardball, let's play f‑‑‑ing hardball.'Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
27-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Inside the push and pull to keep GOP Jan. 6 probes alive
Significant differences between Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) are leaving plans for a new House GOP probe into the Jan. 6 Capitol attack in limbo more than two months after it was announced, as the sides collide over a new select subcommittee's scope and authority. Loudermilk, who is supposed to chair the new panel that would be housed under the House Judiciary Committee, is asking for broad jurisdiction and autonomy to go wherever the investigation takes him. 'We're kind of in flux right now, trying to negotiate out some of the jurisdictions,' Loudermilk told me earlier this month. 'I just need to continue on the way we were going before.' Here is Loudermilk's ask: The Georgia congressman wants to keep researching security posture and issues that Republicans have with the original Jan. 6 select committee, which House Democrats controlled from 2021 to 2022. That would include being able to find more videos of depositions conducted by the original committee; pursuing missing documents he believes are at the Department of Homeland Security; and investigating the Metropolitan Police Department's operations. And here is the Speaker's counter: Plans drawn up by the Speaker's office, I'm told, would limit Loudermilk's jurisdiction to that of the House Judiciary Committee. Loudermilk would still have the ability to dig into issues like the search for the suspect who planted pipe bombs, or trying to get more information from the FBI about informants in the crowd. (The Justice Department's inspector general said there were no undercover agents at Jan. 6, but found 23 confidential human sources in connection with the rally.) But this would close off areas of investigation into the Capitol's security posture and the probes into the previous Democratic-run Jan. 6 panel. Some of the delay is related to Johnson's schedule. The Speaker has been busy trying to prevent a government shutdown and working on a framework to pass President Trump's legislative agenda. There is major interest in the panel from the inmate-turned-activist Jan. 6 defendants who got pardons or commutations from Trump — some of whom have already been communicating with Loudermilk's office about information they want to share. 'I personally have spoken with [Loudermilk's] office, and others have, and they've expressed to us that they want to have an open and honest investigation, and we want the same thing,' said Brian Mock, who was originally sentenced to 33 months in prison in connection with Jan. 6 before securing early release in January. 'We need to explore every avenue, and until we've done that through investigation, and the Jan. 6 community is satisfied that that's been done honestly and openly, we're going to keep screaming about having it done because our lives have been ruined over this.' Mock (who I met at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year) is now chair of the civil rights division of the veteran-focused On Your Six Foundation. He'll be among those hosting a press conference on the west side of the Capitol on Thursday afternoon about prison reform and post-pardon activism. With President Trump still fixated on Jan. 6 and retribution — most recently signaling support for 'compensation' for Jan. 6 pardonees — there are major questions about how deep any new committee would dig into the old Jan. 6 panel if given the opportunity. Trump declared former President Biden's last-minute pardons for its members such as former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) to be 'void.' Loudermilk's previous panel released an 'interim report' in December that recommended a criminal investigation into Cheney, accusing her of witness tampering by being in touch with star hearing witness Cassidy Hutchinson. There is some personal bad blood there, too: Loudermilk himself was subject to the investigation by the original Jan. 6 committee, which asked Loudermilk to appear voluntarily to explain a tour he gave in the Capitol complex on Jan. 5, 2021 — a request he said was meant to push a 'false narrative.' I'm Emily Brooks, House reporter at The Hill, here with a weekly look at the influences and debates on the right in Washington. Tell me what's on your radar: ebrooks@ DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ELIMINATION LEGISLATION — Try saying that three times fast. Trump's plans for dismantling the Department of Education kicked off with an executive order that he signed last week, but it would take action from Congress to officially axe it. That's a steep task. Even before considering the high bar of the 60-vote threshold in the Senate, it is far from clear it would get support in the slim House GOP majority. Take a look at this House amendment vote from 2023, on adding a 'sense of Congress' that the authority of the Department of Education should be terminated: 161 Republicans voted in favor of that amendment, and 60 opposed it. Still, Republicans have several options to choose from if they want to pursue a vote. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has introduced a one-sentence bill to eliminate the Department of Education multiple times over the past several Congresses, carrying on a tradition from former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas). His son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), has introduced the one-sentence bill in the Senate. Massie, though, predicted that GOP leaders might go with some other piece of legislation: 'The bill they pick is probably not going to be my bill, just going out on a limb and guessing given my recent exchanges with Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.' (More on that rocky Massie-Trump relationship here.) Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.) has introduced the States' Education Reclamation Act, a measure he's previously offered in multiple Congresses. That bill would eliminate the department and reappropriate its funding proportionally back to the states for education purposes, and it would transfer some of the department's authorities to other agencies. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced a more substantial piece of legislation, the Returning Education to Our States Act, to eliminate the Department of Education last year, which would redistribute a number of different programs to different departments. And Rep. Michael Rulli (R-Ohio) is also reportedly planning to introduce another bill to codify Trump's plans to eliminate the Department of Education. THREE MORE THINGS… 1. SIGNALGATE — Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy said Trump should fire national security adviser Mike Waltz over his accidentally adding The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg to the infamous Signal group chat, or maybe Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling the situation a 'f‑‑‑ up of epic proportions.' In a lengthy video posted on the social platform X, Portnoy said: 'Trump, you may love Michael Waltz. You love Pete Hegseth. You may love these guys. Somebody has to go down.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, asked about the comment, said she had 'great respect' for Portnoy but pointed to a response saying Trump has confidence in his Cabinet members. 2. SODAGATE — It sure looks like that some kind of big soda or beverage interests were possibly paying conservative influencers to make posts in opposition of a proposal to stop Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from being used to buy soda — seemingly aimed at driving a wedge between the 'Make America Healthy Again' and MAGA alliance. RealClearPolitics's Philip Wegmann with more here … Conservative influencer Nick Sortor has the definitive thread on the scandal on X here … 3. PARENTAL PROXY VOTING DRAMA — House Republicans are battling over whether and how to squash a looming vote on allowing new parents to vote by proxy, after Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) circumvented leadership by using a rarely successful legislative tool to force action on what would be a historic rule change. A defiant Luna said: 'If they want to play hardball, let's play f‑‑‑ing hardball.' Here's the full rundown on the dynamics, from yours truly.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Northland man facing charges in 2022 death of teen from fentanyl overdose
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Northland man is facing multiple criminal charges after investigators said he was connected to the death of a teenage boy who died from a fentanyl overdose in March 2022. According to court records, 27-year-old is facing one count of first-degree drug trafficking and one count of child endangerment, resulting in death, after law enforcement said he sold fentanyl-laced pills to . Body found in Miami County pond believed to be Jordan Yust It was reported that just over two years ago, on Thursday, March 24, 2022, emergency responders and crews with the Gladstone Fire Department were called to a home for an unresponsive 16-year-old male. Upon arrival, rescue units began working on the teen, later identified as Everley, in an attempt to save his life before he was taken to North Kansas City Hospital and transferred to Children's Mercy Hospital. However, he died after being in a coma for five days. According to investigators, following the incident, Everly's father was interviewed by police. He reported picking up his son from work at about 12:30 a.m. on March 24, 2022, and then taking him back home. About an hour later, at 1:30 a.m., the father said he heard Everley in the kitchen. Then, at 10 a.m. that same morning, he reportedly returned to work. Court records said Everley returned home at 3:40 p.m., and 20 minutes later, his dad went into his room to wake him up for work again. However, he said he found his son unresponsive and gargling on the bed with vomit in his mouth. Emergency response crews were then called to the scene. During the investigation, officers asked the father for permission to go through Everley's phone. While conducting the search, court records said text and Facebook messages between the 16-year-old and Loudermilk were found. Throughout the conversation, Everley mentioned a party and plans to use a substance called 'Yerks'- M30 pills laced with fentanyl. Fake 911 calls made before thousands stolen from KCK bank in January: affidavit The messages also revealed that at about 1:50 a.m. on March 24, about 20 minutes after the teen's dad reported hearing him in the kitchen, Everley ordered more pills from Loudermilk, in addition to marijuana. At 1:55 p.m., Loudermilk allegedly told the teen, 'I love [the pills] too just be careful with em they will f*** you round and dont get addicted you can hella easy on em trust me it sucks and Good thing us I would never let that happen lil bro.' Everley then sent his final message to Loudermilk one minute later and said, 'I feel you bro and I be flipping most of em I just tried em, imam prolly chill on em here soon and They just be helping me calm down and s***.' At 3:40 p.m. that day, the teen's father found him unresponsive in his room, and five days later, he was pronounced dead. According to court records, throughout the investigation, Everley's friend, who was also a juvenile, was interviewed. They said they had gone to a party with the 16-year-old between midnight and 2 p.m. on March 23, 2022 — the day before he was taken to the hospital. The friend said that at one point in the evening, Everley had gone outside and returned with pills. According to the friend, it was believed that Everley had gone outside to get the pills from Loudermilk. When Everley came back inside, court records said he snorted the substance and became 'sedated with his eyes rolled back in his head.' About 24 hours later, he was found by his father. Autopsy reports showed that Everley died from 'probable acute combined drug intoxication.' Worker's mysterious death at KCMO hotel leaves family searching for answers Court records also said that two M30 pills were found in Everley's room and tested. The results came back positive for acetaminophen and fentanyl, according to investigators. Loudermilk is now being held in a Clay County jail on a $500,000 bond. On March 24, the court entered a not-guilty plea on Loudermilk's behalf. His next court appearance is on April 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Guns N' Roses Announce New Drummer Isaac Carpenter
The post Guns N' Roses Announce New Drummer Isaac Carpenter appeared first on Consequence. One day after announcing the departure of longtime band member Frank Ferrer, Guns N' Roses have announced Isaac Carpenter as their new drummer. While Carpenter may not be a household name, he has an impressive résumé. He formed the band Loudermilk (later Gosling) in 1995 while he was still in high school, and has been a member of alt-rock band AWOLNATION since 2014. He has also done session work for a number of notable musicians. Among the other artists Carpenter has worked with are Duff McKagan's Loaded, Adam Lambert, Barbarians of California, A Perfect Circle, The Exies, Ours, and Black Lab. He has also done extensive recording for film and television projects. Ferrer had been Guns N' Roses' drummer for 19 years. Yesterday, it was announced that he and the band had parted ways 'amicably.' Guns N' Roses are set to launch an international tour on May 1st in Incheon, South Korea. The band will play dates in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe through a July 31st gig at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. Pick up tickets here. See footage of Isaac Carpenter playing drums below. This is a developing story… Guns N' Roses Announce New Drummer Isaac Carpenter Spencer Kaufman Popular Posts JD Vance Booed at Kennedy Center Dropkick Murphys Make On-Stage Wager with Trump Supporter Over Where His Shirt Was Made Documentary Claims Jim Morrison Is Alive, Living in Syracuse In 2025, Lollapalooza Has Shed Its Rock Past for Good j-hope of BTS Makes Triumphant Return with Solo Tour "Hope on the Stage": Review American Pie Actress Jasmine Mooney Spends Two Weeks in ICE Detention Facility Subscribe to Consequence's email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.
