Monday morning news: May 27, 2024

Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas storms » An especially violent tornado season struck again over the weekend. Residents in parts of several states are sifting through piles of splintered lumber and shattered glass where their homes once stood.

Kim Weston lost her home in Texas.

RESIDENT:  It was a godsend we weren’t home. The neighbor across the street had an RV and it landed on our house. Um, the only part that's standing is where we would have been sheltered.

She said she’s grateful to be alive. But the storms killed 15 people across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Cooke County, Texas Sheriff Ray Sappington said Sunday:

SAPPINGTON: We are still in a search and rescue mode. And uh, the damage is really devastating.

He said in some places, there is “just a trail of debris left” in the area bordering Oklahoma.

Border/Venezuelan gang members arrested » Border security remains a hot topic of debate on Capitol Hill. Democratic leaders last week tried to revive a Senate border bill with another vote on the measure, which was already rejected by Republicans months ago. Most GOP lawmakers said the bill was insufficient and could even make the problem worse.

But Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said Sunday:

MURPHY:  For many of us, we are just heartbroken. We're sick over the fact that our Republican colleagues in Congress continue to vote against bipartisan border security.

But Republicans called last week’s vote a political stunt, designed to try and take the heat off of Democrats for the border crisis.

But Republican Sen. Ron Johnson said that effort won’t work.

JOHNSON:  We've experienced since last December over 10, 000 people on average per day under Biden has been over 7, 000 people per day and in this country illegally. That's their open border policy. They want an open border. They caused a problem.

Republicans maintain that President Biden could fix the border crisis immediately by reinstalling the Trump-era policies he rolled back in 2021.

Trump gets mixed reaction from libertarians » It wasn’t quite the type of reception former President Trump is used to at his campaign events. He was greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos when he spoke at the Libertarian Party National Convention over the weekend.

TRUMP:  I am truly honored to be invited here tonight as the first president in American history to address the Libertarian National Convention. Great honor.

Many in the crowd were already skeptical before he took the stage, saying he doesn't align with their values.

He garnered applause when he offered this commitment:

TRUMP:  I will put a libertarian in my cabinet and also libertarians in senior posts.

But the boos grew louder when he called on attendees to make him the Libertarian Party’s nominee for president.

Trump VP » Meantime, rumors continue to swirl around the identity of Trump’s future running mate.

The New York Times, citing several unnamed sources close to the campaign, say Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton has emerged as a top contender in the veepstakes. Those sources reportedly told the Times that Trump values Cotton’s reliability and clear communication on policy.

But another person believed to be on that shortlist, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum says only the former president knows which way he’s leaning.

BURGUM:  He's got so many good choices that he could make and only he knows what choice he's going to make and he'll make that choice at the right time. 

Other rumored top contenders include Senators Tim Scott and Marco Rubio, and Gov. Kristi Noem.

Election security prep » And with the election less than six months away top state officials are working to assure voters that they can trust the process. Pennsylvania’s Republican Secretary of State Al Schmidt told NBC’s Meet the Press:

SCHMIDT:  Elections have never been more safe and secure with a voter verifiable paper ballot record of every vote that's cast that is used in not one, but two audits after every election to ensure the tabulated results are accurate.

And Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger added …

RAFFENSPERGER:  We now have photo ID for all forms of voting in Georgia. And we add an additional day of early voting, 17 days. And we're also going to do pre scanning, pre processing [SIC] ballots. I’ll fight every day to make sure we have fair, honest, and accurate elections.

Former President Trump questioned the results of the 2020 election in numerous states, including Pennsylvania and Georgia.

MUSIC: [Chim Chim Cher-ee]

Richard M. Sherman obit » Richard M. Sherman has died at the age of 95. You might not know his name, but you probably know his music.

Richard was one half of the prolific, award-winning Sherman brothers, along with his late brother Robert. The pair penned hundreds of songs together, including songs for “Mary Poppins,” and the “The Jungle Book.”

MUSIC: [It’s a Small World After All]

as well as the most-played tune on Earth …

MUSIC: [It’s a Small World After All]

Walt Disney Co. announced that Sherman died over the weekend due to age-related illness.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Starbucks at the Supreme Court on this week’s Legal Docket. Plus, the Monday Moneybeat.

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