POLITICUSUSA
In an open letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), 480 state legislators ask Congress to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Representative Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) accused Democrats of ceding culture by backing academics who teach critical race theory, though she did not elaborate on what her definition of “culture” is.
The hosts of “Fox and Friends” are fearmongering about the crime rate in New York City as its residents head to the polls to choose Mayor Bill de Blasio’s replacement.
“Crime is surging all around the United States,” said co-host Steve Doocy before showing viewers a copy of today’s edition of The New York Post, which urges its readers to vote for retired police officer and current Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams “to save New York.”
Priorities USA, one of the biggest Democratic Super PACs, has pledged $20 million for voting rights initiatives ahead of the 2022 election cycle. The group’s announcement is aimed at actions by Republicans to restrict voting access and will comprise a digital effort that will include “a series of extensive voter information campaigns, going beyond a more traditional approach that would consist solely of persuasion ads,” according to The New York Times. That effort will also include text message reminders to vote and request absentee ballots.
Senate Democrats are preparing for a defeat as their Republican colleagues unite to kill the For the People Act, a voting and election reform bill that Democrats have made a top priority. Republicans have called the bill a partisan exercise and Democrats have faced opposition from within their own party, most notably from Senator Joe Manchin (W. Va.), who recently put forward several compromises that received support from prominent leaders such as voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams.
Trump tried to use the power of the presidency to get the FCC, Department of Justice, and others to investigate SNL.
On the whole, as a culture, we don’t speak much of the nation’s failure to extend democracy and civil rights to workers, tending to prioritize the rights of private property and capital
In the days after the January insurrection, few Conservative lawmakers or media members were willing to defend the rioters. As time has gone on, there has been a push by Republican Reps. and Fox News personalities to downplay the events of that day.
Recently, Tucker Carlson has began hinting that the people arrested for their roles in the riots were actually undercover FBI agents. Frank Figliuzzi had a theory as to why Fox is allowing this.
The former FBI agent began by telling Nicolle Wallace, “Let’s be clear here, we’re not talking about conspiracies that just spontaneously sprung up from the population as they do — urban legends that need to get swatted down or that take on a life of their own — we’re looking at conspiracy as a deliberate strategy.”
Figliuzzi then said of Fox:
“I think that they are frightened out of their minds that the FBI is actually looking at the root causes of this. And we have some confirmation of that because NBC News obtained one of the FBI interview transcripts of one of the January 6 defendants. And low and behold, what is one of the questions they asked him? ‘Do you know anybody in Congress or congressional staffers? “If that is becoming a standardized question under certain circumstances, they have every right to be worried and that’s why we’ll see them continue to plant this cockamamy theory that the FBI did it.”
The New York investigators looking into the Trump Organization have continued to widen their probe. Allen Weisselberg, the long time CFO of the company has been in their cross-hairs for months.
Weisselberg, though, has reportedly been a reluctant witness against his boss. So now investigators have set their sights on COO Matthew Calamari. According to a new report, Calamari and his son are being advised to lawyer up.
During a Monday night appearance on Dateline White House, David Farenthold explained what this might mean for Trump. The Washington Post scribe told Nicolle Wallace:
“You’re right that it seems very similar to the Weisselberg situation, these folks have been compensated not just salary but apparently apartments. The key is what value the Calamaris might have to prosecutors. He doesn’t play the same role in the company that Weisselberg does. He functions more like a COO than Calamari does. Weisselberg makes a lot of decisions. Calamari is a former bodyguard, he doesn’t handle the executive decisions. So I’m not sure that calamari could tell you that Donald Trump ordered this decision or that decision. That said, he may be in legal trouble himself and I’m sure that he could provide something of value to prosecutors.”
https://twitter.com/politicususa/status/1407133909238927360
Senate Republicans are dragging their feet as the Capitol Police are about to run out of money while the Senate is in recess.
The Manhattan DA has told the Chief Operating Officer of the Trump Organization and his son to get lawyers.
Donald Trump would very much like to run for president again in 2024. He has a number of hurdles to overcome to get there. He has serious legal issues in both New York and Georgia. He is also a 75 year-old man who isn’t in the greatest physical condition. But if he’s able to clear those hurdles, Trump would be favored to be the 2024 GOP nominee.
There are other popular Republicans though. During a conference in Colorado this weekend, attendees said they’d rather see Ron DeSantis be the 2024 nominee than Trump. According to Mark Meadows, though, the former president doesn’t need to worry because the Florida governor won’t be challenging him.
The former Trump chief of staff told the Washington Examiner, “
I think Ron DeSantis is identified across the country now for the courage that he shows for conservative solutions, and he would be the first to say that if President Trump gets in, that he would win the nomination and would clear the field, and so I don’t ever see it being a 2016 primary scenario.”
Not too many Americans had a good year financially in 2020. Jeff Bezos, however, had a banner year. The fortune of the Amazon founder only grew while people were stuck in their houses.
Amazon has been heavily criticized for the pay and treatment of its workers despite massive profits. On Monday, the online retailer celebrated its Prime Day, offering major discounts on popular items. Bill de Blasio encouraged New Yorkers to instead shop locally.
The New York City mayor said during a press conference, “Today is Prime Day, it’s a perfect day not to shop Amazon. It’s a perfect day to keep it local, to buy from your neighborhood stores. It’s a perfect day to shop your city. Keep the money in our city, support our small businesses. Also, it’s a perfect day to show solidarity with Amazon workers.”
de Blasio continued, “Amazon literally made record profits last year, but they don’t seem to want to share them with working people.”
The New York City mayor shared a similar message on his Twitter page. He posted, “Prime Day is a great day to NOT support a corporation that doesn’t pay its fair share in taxes or share the wealth with their employees. Today, and every day, support our local businesses, keep your money in your community, and shop local.”
Prime Day is a great day to NOT support a corporation that doesn’t pay its fair share in taxes or share the wealth with their employees.
Today, and every day, support our local businesses, keep your money in your community, and shop local. pic.twitter.com/cYZdA13iKp
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that legislation to protect the right to vote rigs elections for Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer got emotional on the Senate floor as he discussed voting rights and Trump and the GOP's destruction of democracy.
Joe Biden is now back in town after his first foreign trip. The president’s trip was markedly different than those of his predecessor. Unlike Donald Trump, who was seen as mostly a joke by foreign leaders, Biden was accepted and embraced.
And many of Biden’s initiatives so far have been popular with the American people. So Republicans have become over reliant on talking points and culture war issues. Jim Jordan attempted to use one of these talking points earlier today and was smacked down by Jen Psaki.
This morning, the Ohio congressman tweeted, “Average gas price: June 2020: $2.21 June 2021: $3.07 President Biden’s economy!”
Of course the gas prices were affected by the pandemic. Gas suppliers lowered prices last year in an effort to encourage people to take to the road. Now that most motorists are back, suppliers are trying to make up for the money they lost last year.
Psaki responded to Jordan, “You forgot to mention that gas prices are the same now as they were in June 2018. Or that this time last year unemployment was 11.1% — today it’s 5.8%.”
You forgot to mention that gas prices are the same now as they were in June 2018. Or that this time last year unemployment was 11.1% — today it’s 5.8%.@POTUS agrees families shouldn’t pay more at the pump – that’s why he’s opposed to GOP proposals to raise the gas tax. https://t.co/tc5cDXrbJR
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) lashed out at Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms after Bottoms blamed the increase of crime in her city on the Georgia Republican Party’s easing of Covid-19 restrictions and easy access to firearms.
“Atlanta’s Keisha Bottoms is one of America’s worst mayors, maybe even worse than [Lori] Lightfoot & [Bill] de Blasio,” Greene wrote on Twitter, referring to the respective mayors of Chicago and New York City.
“Lenox Mall used to attract shoppers from all over America, now it has metal detectors. BLM riots. Defund the police. Buckhead wants to leave,” she added, though she did not provide any evidence to back up her claims.
Atlanta's Keisha Bottoms is one of America's worst mayors, maybe even worse than Lightfoot & de Blasio.
Lenox Mall used to attract shoppers from all over America, now it has metal detectors. BLM riots. Defund the police. Buckhead wants to leave.
TOTAL DISASTER. Thanks, Keisha.
According to Washington Post journalists Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta, who authored the new book, Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic That Changed History, former President Donald Trump reportedly suggested sending Americans infected with Covid-19 to Guantanamo Bay in a bid to cut down on the number of cases on United States soil.
The authors interviewed more than 180 people, including former White House staffers and government officials, to verify this information.
Trump reportedly made the remarks during a February 2020 meeting in the Situation Room about whether infected Americans should be brought home for care in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Don’t we have an island that we own?” and “What about Guantánamo?” Trump asked the meeting’s attendees.
Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.) appeared at a loss for words after former President Donald Trump endorsed Representative Ted Budd (R-N.C.) in the Republican primary for the retiring senator’s seat.
“I can’t tell you what motivates him,” Burr said of Trump. “I’ve never seen individuals endorse a candidate a year before the primary. That’s unusual.”
Trump endorsed Budd’s campaign last month, almost immediately after his daughter-in-law Lara Trump confirmed she would not run for the open seat in 2022.
The 2021 study of America's most patriotic states found that six of the ten most patriotic states voted for Joe Biden.