Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats
- Thread starter GasBandit
- Start date
Maybe once they no longer have any say in federal government nor in school textbooks, have no connection to the rest of the power grid, their highways and bridges crumble to dust, the post offices shut down, the military bases leave, nobody can sue for patents in the East Texas district any more, Medicaid/Medicare shut down, and nobody can visit their families in Oklahoma or Louisiana any more...maybe then they will start to wonder whether it was really such a good idea.
--Patrick
--Patrick
Based on what happened in the UK after Brexit, no, instead you can expect them to whine about all of that being an attempt to "unfairly punish" them for leaving. Also after Texas loosens standards & then tries to export stuff to the US only to be told "No, the stuff you want to sell here still needs to meet our standards" they'll complain about that somehow being a violation of their new national sovereignty.
GasBandit
Staff member
The Republican-controlled House voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio of Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Biden’s handling of classified material and declined to bring charges. Despite the Justice Department previously making the full transcript public, Republicans on the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees issued two subpoenas for the audio recordings. Garland refused to turn over the audio, saying it would set a bad precedent to share audio for cases that do not lead to criminal charges. Garland also told lawmakers that he didn’t see a “legislative purpose” for Congress needing the audio when “the words are the same on the transcript as the audio.” Further, Biden asserted executive privilege over the recordings. Nevertheless, House Republicans argued that the audio recording was crucial to their impeachment inquiry into Biden, which remains stalled after their key witness was charged with lying. The vote was 216-207, and marks the third time a sitting attorney general was held in contempt of Congress. It is unlikely that the Justice Department — which Garland oversees — will prosecute him. (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / Associated Press / Axios / CNN / NBC News)
GasBandit
Staff member
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is mad that a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalism organization did its job and reported on the lavish gifts and travel that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted – but didn’t disclose – from a Republican megadonor. At an event hosted by the Supreme Court Historical Society, Alito was recorded criticizing ProPublica, an independent, nonprofit newsroom that won a Pulitzer Prize for its series on ethical lapses by Supreme Court justices. Alito argued that ProPublica was not engaging in legitimate journalism, but instead claimed without evidence that they were reporting on the court because “they don’t like our decisions, and they don’t like how they anticipate we may decide some cases that are coming up. That’s the beginning of the end of it.” He added, “There are groups that are very well-funded by ideological interests that have spearheaded these attacks. That’s what it is.” When asked to elaborate, Alito responded: “ProPublica gets a lot of money, and they have spent a fortune investigating Clarence Thomas, for example. You know, everything he’s ever done in his entire life. And they’ve done some of that to me, too. They look for any little thing they can find, and they try to make something out of it.” In 2023, ProPublica published a series of investigative reports detailing undisclosed luxury trips, gifts, and questionable extrajudicial activities involving multiple justices and Republican billionaires. Following the reporting, the Supreme Court adopted its first ethical code of conduct in its 234-year history. (Rolling Stone / New Republic / The Hill / Salon)
GasBandit
Staff member
48% of Americans approve Trump’s recent felony conviction, while 29% disapprove, and 21% neither approve nor disapprove. Among Democrats, 85% approve of Trump’s conviction, while 61% of Republicans disapprove. (Associated Press)
GasBandit
Staff member
- Hunter Biden Conviction Undercuts a Trump Narrative. “Many allies of Donald J. Trump had secretly wanted an acquittal, which they predicted would have turbocharged fund-raising and fed their claims of a rigged justice system.” (New York Times)
- “Haul out the Guillotine,” Trump says in fundraising email as he baselessly accused his political opponents of going after him and his supporters. The email also claimed Trump’s critics have a “Sick Dream” to see him beheaded, the latest example of Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric since his hush money conviction. (Axios / Associated Press)
- Trump’s campaign was rooting for Hunter Biden to be acquitted. Now, it’s changing tactics. “The guilty verdict against Hunter Biden has raised an uncomfortable question: If the justice system is rigged by Joe Biden against Trump, why would the system also convict the president’s son?” (Business Insider)
- Republicans push conspiracy theories after Hunter Biden verdict: “A fake trial.” “Republicans have long sought to use Hunter Biden’s woes and business dealings as a political weapon against Biden, ignoring the fact that Trump himself is also now a convicted felon whose own business empire has been fined hundreds of millions of dollars for fraudulent practices.” (The Guardian / CNN)
- Trump Campaign Takes Back Its Well Wishes to Hunter Biden. “Moments after Hunter Biden was convicted of federal gun charges, the Trump campaign sent a statement that ended with warm wishes for the president’s son: ‘As for Hunter, we wish him well in his recovery and legal affairs,’ it said. An hour later, however, the statement sent out did not have the softer last line and instead focused on the hits against the Biden family and the trial that exposed intimate details about Hunter’s drug addiction.” (Daily Beast)
- Fox News Suddenly Loves the Justice System After Hunter Biden’s Conviction. “In the moments following Hunter Biden’s conviction on federal gun charges on Tuesday, Fox News celebrated the justice system doing its job.” (Mother Jones)
@GasBandit are going all poppingcream or is this some new app you are using to share news?
GasBandit
Staff member
These days I'm getting most of my links from What the Fuck Just Happened Today.
GasBandit
Staff member
The Supreme Court unanimously preserved access to the abortion pill mifepristone, rejecting a challenge to the FDA’s rules for prescribing and dispensing abortion pills. The court, however, took no position on the drugs safety, morality, or whether people have a right to bodily autonomy. Instead, the court said the anti-abortion group had failed to show they had been harmed and did not have legal standing to sue. “For that reason, the federal courts are the wrong forum for addressing the plaintiffs’ concerns about FDA’s actions,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the court, even though the plaintiffs have “sincere legal, moral, ideological, and policy objections.” Kavanaugh suggested that the plaintiffs take their issues to the president, lawmakers, and regulators to make changes. Although the ruling was unanimous, Missouri, Kansas, and Idaho, each of which has a Republican attorney general, have brought their own claims and have different arguments for standing. Mifepristone was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year. (Washington Post / Associated Press / New York Times / CNN / NPR / NBC News / Politico / Axios / ABC News / Wall Street Journal)
- poll/ 61% of Americans support mifepristone, which was approved by the FDA in 2000 (!), as a prescription drug. Among Republicans, 32% are in favor of having mifepristone available as a prescription drug, while 87% of Democrats and 61% of independents support the drug’s legality. (Gallup)
GasBandit
Staff member
Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic bill to protect access to in vitro fertilization. Every though 49 Senate Republicans signed onto a letter voicing their support for IVF, the legislation failed 48-47. It needed 60 votes to advance. “Once again, Senate Republicans refused to protect access to fertility treatments for women who are desperately trying to get pregnant,” Biden said after the vote. “The disregard for a woman’s right to make these decisions for herself and her family is outrageous and unacceptable.” Last week, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic measure to protect the federal right to access contraception nationwide. (Politico / Axios / Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / NBC News / ABC News / Wall Street Journal)
figmentPez
Staff member
Voters have no right to fair elections, NC lawmakers say as they seek to dismiss gerrymandering suit
"The lawsuit argues that the state constitution guarantees the right to fair elections, and it says the new districts violate that promise. The Republican-led legislature argues that no such right exists, since it's impossible to define what 'fair' means."
"The lawsuit argues that the state constitution guarantees the right to fair elections, and it says the new districts violate that promise. The Republican-led legislature argues that no such right exists, since it's impossible to define what 'fair' means."
Failed presidential candidate Ron DeSantis decides Florida isn't enough of a shithole, decides to bring back old school "fun" laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act. Now even legal residents can't purchase a home if they have ever had a Chinese passport:
They might have to import them and you know how they feel about immigrants.
GasBandit
Staff member
The U.S. surgeon general called for social media companies to include a surgeon general’s warning label stating that the platforms can harm people’s mental health. Dr. Vivek Murthy, who cannot unilaterally add warning labels, urged Congress to enact legislation requiring the label to “regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe” and that “social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents.” Murthy cited a 2019 American Medical Association study that showed teens who spend three hours a day on social media double their risk of depression. On average, teens spend nearly five hours a day on social media apps. “The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency,” Murthy added, “and social media has emerged as an important contributor.” (New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / ABC News / CNN / Axios)
GasBandit
Staff member
New Polling Shows the Real Fallout From the Trump Conviction. “Among the most notable findings in our poll: 21 percent of independents said the conviction made them less likely to support Trump and that it would be an important factor in their vote. In a close election, small shifts among independent and swing voters could determine the outcome.” (Politico)
Some isps have already started restricting access to some sites. In unrelated news, I have a vpn.