OnPolitics: Trump favorite Dan Cox wins GOP nomination for MD governor

Hello, OnPolitics readers.

In case you missed it: U.S. Capitol Police arrested 35 demonstrators at an abortion rights protest at the Supreme Court Tuesday, including 17 members of Congress.

The protesters were arrested for "crowding, obstructing or incommoding" by blocking traffic on First Street, NE, where the Supreme Court is located, according to a statement from Capitol Police.

Law enforcement did not provide the names of those arrested, but several lawmakers, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Cori Bush, D-Mo. and Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., confirmed on social media that they were taken into custody.

"There is no democracy if women do not have control over their own bodies and decisions about their own health, including reproductive care," Maloney said in a statement posted on her Twitter account Tuesday.

The protest is the latest of several planned throughout the Washington area since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 50-year-old ruling that established a constitutional right to an abortion, in June.

It's Amy and Chelsey with today's top stories out of Washington.

Trump-endorsed Dan Cox wins Maryland GOP nom for governor

Former President Donald Trump's influence has persisted throughout a number of GOP primary elections in 2022. Most recently, Dan Cox, a far-right wing Maryland state legislator with Trump's backing, won the Republican nomination for governor.

On Tuesday, Cox beat more moderate Republican candidate Kelly Schulz, a former cabinet member in Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's administration who had the governor's backing.

Some see Cox's victory over Schulz as a potential blow to Republicans' chances of retaining the governor's seat in November. Hogan, who is the rare Republican to serve two terms in a left-leaning state, considered Schulz his successor.

Hogan has also been a vocal critic of Trump, and urged the GOP to move away from his divisive brand of politics.

Meanwhile, Cox openly supported Trump and his claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. He organized busloads of protesters to attend the former president's "Stop the Steal" rally that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Cox also said President Joe Biden's win should not have been certified, called former Vice President Mike Pence a "traitor" and sought to impeach Hogan over his pandemic-related policies.

The results of the Democratic primary are still pending, but the Democratic National Committee paid over $1 million for an ad intended to boost Cox, whom they view as the easier candidate to beat in November.

Real quick: stories you'll want to read

• No federal indictment of Trump?: A Justice Department memo suggests Donald Trump won't face any federal indictment over the insurrection Jan. 6, 2021, before the election in November, legal analysts said.

• Man arrested near Jill Biden's motorcade: A man was arrested on Monday after allegedly attempting to enter a roadway closed for first lady Jill Biden’s motorcade before an altercation with Secret Service officers.

• Biden announces climate change action: President Joe Biden announced executive actions Wednesday to address climate change after his legislative agenda faced a setback in Congress.

• House may consider ban on assault weapons: The House Judiciary Committee is expected to consider a bill that would ban assault weapons following a series of mass shootings across the country in recent weeks.

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House codifies same-sex marriage, but will it pass the Senate?

The House on Tuesday passed a bill codifying federal protections for same-sex marriage, amid growing concern among some lawmakers and advocates that the Supreme Court could revisit its landmark 2015 decision.

Why now? After the Supreme Court’s decision to nullify federal abortion protections, House Democrats are pushing to protect other rights they believe were left vulnerable following the court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Same-sex marriage was one of a handful of personal rights called into question in Justice Clarence Thomas's concurring opinion on the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, which overturned Roe v. Wade.Thomas said other rights that fall under substantive due process could be overturned by the court in the future.

What was the final vote? All 220 House Democrats voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday, with 47 Republicans also in support.

Because of the Senate's filibuster rules, 60 votes are needed to get the act through Congress.

Republican members of the House Rules Committee on Monday criticized Democrats for pushing the bill through after receiving it one hour before the committee's hearing. Republican members said the bill needed to go through question and debate in the Judiciary Committee.

"A very sad day" Former President Donald Trump paid respects to his first wife, Ivana Trump, joining their three children Wednesday at a funeral mass for the 1980s style icon and businesswoman. -- Amy and Chelsey

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump endorsed Dan Cox wins GOP nomination Maryland governor