The Conservative Youth Movement Is Still Going Strong—Except at the Polls

Clarence Thomas Vacations • Tennessee Expels Dems • RFK Jr.’s Pal Bannon

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The Conservative Youth Movement Is Still Going Strong—Except at the Polls

Good morning from the Hive newsroom! Young Republicans seem to be having big promotional success, as the likes of Charlie Kirk, Ben Shapiro, and similar-minded conservative school campus activists keep making headlines. Caleb Ecarma looks beneath the hype, to find a GOP still very much struggling to pull in young voters. Meanwhile, Tennessee House Republicans actually expelled two Democrats from the legislature for protesting in favor of gun control on the state House floor. Bess Levin points to the sheer hypocrisy of this extreme act of partisanship; state Republicans said three Democrats’ protests (which included chants of “No action, no peace”) were akin to an “insurrection.”

In other news, Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas has been on some very lavish vacations while on the nation’s highest court, including trips to a private Adirondacks resort that features a full-scale mock-up of Hagrid’s hut from Harry Potter—reportedly all gifts from a conservative donor. Put together with the ethical concerns around his wife’s conservative activism (including on January 6), Eric Lutz concludes Thomas must be on a quest to be the most corrupt justice on the court. Thanks for reading!

The Conservative Youth Movement Is Still Going Strong—Except at the Polls

Republicans seem to have staked their bets on young Americans becoming more conservative with age. But, as one pollster tells Vanity Fair, “that gamble has not proven to have been correct.”

Tennessee House Goes Full Authoritarian, Expels 2 Black Lawmakers for Protesting Gun Violence

State Republicans targeted a third Democrat, Gloria Johnson, who is white, but did not expel her.

Clarence Thomas Is on a Quest to Be the Most Corrupt Justice in the Court

The Supreme Court justice has reportedly spent decades accepting exorbitant gifts, luxury vacations, and yacht rides from a major GOP power player—none of which were disclosed to the American public.

Rupert Murdoch May Be Forced to Testify in Dominion’s Defamation Suit Against Fox

Fox’s best efforts to keep the 92-year-old media mogul—and his son Lachlan—off the stand appear to be faltering, with the judge saying he wouldn’t stand in the way of Dominion subpoenaing the Murdochs.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Presidential Bid Is Doomed to Fail. But That’s Not the Point

The rabid anti-vaxxer and nephew of John F. Kennedy reportedly launched his 2024 campaign on the advice of Steve Bannon, who thought he’d make for a great “chaos agent” in the Democratic primary.