Politics roundup: Are we really talking about impeachment?

The President and Democrats really aren’t getting along, especially with subpoenas involved. Is impeachment really the next step for the White House?

Are we talking impeachment or not? And what’s up with those tax returns?

The President has walked out of an important meeting with House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. How you interpret this development depends, of course, on your own political mindset. It may mark the beginning of the end of democracy, a President standing up against a corrupt establishment, or anything in between.

According to reports, the meeting went to pieces after the President claimed that Pelosi was leading an unfair dive into his affairs. He then made his way to the Rose Garden, where he told waiting press, “I don’t do cover-ups”. Pelosi herself later claimed that the President is in fact involved in a cover-up, “and that could be an impeachable offense”.

Impeachment has become an increasingly prominent topic of conversation within Congress. While Pelosi herself has proven to be reluctant on this front, other lawmakers have pushed for a formal investigation. Even Republican politicians have started to join the fray. This past weekend, Michigan Rep. Justin Amash became the sole Republican calling for impeachment.

While it looks as if Pelosi won’t start impeachment inquiries without some serious pushing, neither do the White House’s efforts to conceal some matters inspire confidence. The President has challenged Congress’ ability to subpoena his financial records, which many consider to be a key component of a hypothetical impeachment proceeding. Yet, two federal judges have blocked this move.

New York State has also passed a bill that will clear the path for the President’s finances to meet the light of day. All told, it’s looking more likely that the Legislative Branch will get its hands on those documents. That’s not a given, however. The White House has said that it will challenge these decisions all the way to the Supreme Court, where the President has already installed two conservative judges.

Former White House officials subpoenaed by Congress

While the President’s financial records may be brought before Congress, so, too, are former White House employees. Then again, that depends. Who’s being subpoenaed, and who approves these appearances, could make all the difference.

Some one-time officials might not be sitting before a committee. Former White House counsel Don McGahn may or may not speak with the House Judiciary Committee, especially if the President invokes executive privilege. If he does eventually appear, McGahn will almost certainly talk about his testimony to special counsel Robert Mueller concerning obstruction of justice.

That could be unlikely, however. McGahn has already defied the subpoena, having failed to appear before the Committee on Tuesday, at the direction of the President. Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler has said that he will move to hold McGahn in contempt of Congress.

The House Judiciary Committee has also issued subpoenas to former White House communications director Hope Hicks, as well as former deputy counsel Annie Donaldson. The Committee seeks documents from both, while also asking Hicks to appear at a public hearing next month. Donaldson has been asked to attend a deposition in June.

Both will be interviewed about potential instances of obstruction described in the Mueller report. Hicks has said that she took part in drafting a misleading statement about the June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian official in New York City’s Trump Tower.

Donaldson, who acted as McGahn’s deputy, apparently took extensive notes during meetings which may contradict statements given by other officials.

That’s not all. The House has also authorized subpoenas for former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, as well as former strategist Steve Bannon. It has not officially issued these orders, be we are bound to see them in action soon.

Modi secures Indian elections

If you’re an American, or really anyone who’s already starting to fret about the 2020 U.S. elections, then perhaps you need some perspective. India, for instance, has just held the largest democratic elections in the world. The week-long process has proven to be a great success for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who has helped his party win in an apparent landslide.

Modi, along with his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), first came into power with a majority win in the 2014 elections. Though he promised to address the rampant corruption issues within the Indian government, Modi also pushed an aggressive form of Hindu nationalism. That pushed back against religious minorities in the nation, including Indian Muslims.

Vigilante justice and hate crimes are on the rise in India, with many pointing to Modi’s voice as a driving force. Leaders within the BJP have even encouraged hate crimes against Muslim victims.

Modi’s government has also faced record-high unemployment and a sluggish economy. His efforts to jump-start finances and fight corruption have floundered as well.

So, how did he win so big in this election? By leaning into nationalism. It wasn’t subtle by any means. Modi’s slogan for his campaign read: “Nationalism is our inspiration”. He also promised voters that he would restore India’s “glorious past”.

It didn’t help that challenger Rahul Gandhi, of the Congress Party, faced accusations of favoritism and political dynasty – his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, was a Prime Minister. That was after her own father, Rajeev Gandhi, served in the same role. Voters also balked at Gandhi’s “appeasement” of minorities, like Indian Muslims.

May resigns as Prime Minister

Even though it seems like all of the British Parliament is telling her to call it quits, Prime Minister Theresa May seemed to be hanging in there. Yes, a number of prominent ministers resigned themselves in response to her tenure. Sure, the disastrous rollout of Brexit had left even her own Conservative Party in revolt against her. She may even have metaphorically or literally blocked herself in her office towards the end, but, by god, she was still there.

Until Friday. That’s when May announced her resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

May had developed yet another Brexit withdrawal agreement with the European Union, meant to ensure a smooth U.K. exit from the E.U. That document was met with disdain, much like her earlier attempts at an agreement. Even an extension on Brexit didn’t seem to buy her much regard.

When May floated the idea of a second referendum, in which British voters might call the entire thing off, Brexit hardliners were aghast. It didn’t help that May’s vast and growing unpopularity was hurting the Conservative Party. With European parliamentary elections nearly over, it’s all but certain that Conservatives have taken a beating.

It’s not clear where this will lead. Currently, it looks like Nigel Farage’s Brexit party is set to win overall. And if a second referendum does indeed happen – and that’s no given – polls are leaning ever so slightly in favor of re-upping Brexit. Given margins of error and the deep uncertainty of politics, however, that’s as good a predictor as flipping a coin.

As for who will replace May, that is also unclear. She only just resigned this week, after all. Tory politician Sir Graham Brady is considering it, but that’s about the only clear replacement news we have received thus far.

And, finally, your palate cleanser

There’s a problem with true crime. In many accounts, far more attention is paid to the person committing injustices than their victims. How much do you know about Ed Gein or Jeffrey Dahmer compared to Bernice Worden and Konerak Sinthasomphone?

Too often, true crime stories focus on the lurid details without considering the fact that victims were fully human. In tales of Jack the Ripper, the five women considered to be the “canonical” victims are reduced to a few lines about alcoholism, poverty, and sex work in London’s East End.

To combat this, check out The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper. Author Hallie Rubenhold tracks the lives of Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. Rubenhold covers the factors that shaped their stories, from economic inequality, disease, and the rampant misogyny of Victorian England.

Unlike other authors, Rubenhold does not dwell on the circumstances of their death, or how these women were found. Instead, she attempts to bring life back into their stories, with a humanity that’s missing from other accounts.