Mark Meadows In Contempt of Congress & With No Viable Executive Privilege, It’s Indictment Time
The Lincoln Project – Protect America
politicsrus – Protect Democracy HD
Rebel HQ – NDLB’s 2022 lineup is ready to send the GQP packing!
This Scene From The Titus Show Stuck with Trae Crowder Ever Since it Aired
Really American – Republicans COWER in Fear of Trump
Beau – Let’s talk about altering the Supreme Court…
Yesterday, I changed the ink cartridge in my printer, wich enabled me to print out instructions to do something else which I hadn’t beeen able to accomplish because I couldn’t see the instructions and the screens I was supposed to be performing them on at the same time. I still haven’t accomplished it … but I’m getting closer. Incidentally, I do apologize for not mentioning Rosh Hashanah until now when it’s over. But for those who celebrate, I do hope it was happy. And there are other occasions coming soon to observe.
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AP News – Shadow docket Supreme Court decisions could affect millions
Quote – Since Aug. 24, that truncated process known as the shadow docket has moved at astronomical speed, producing decisions related to immigration, COVID-19 and evictions and, most recently, abortion. Those three decisions, with the conservative wing of the court in the majority, have the potential to affect millions of people, in a fraction of the time and outside the normal scrutiny signed opinions can bring. “My memory is, typically, if the Supreme Court was acting in July and August, it was really that quintessential emergency appeal, dealing with something like a death penalty situation. It wasn’t like: What is immigration law going to be in our country? It wasn’t: Will tenants have certain rights? It wasn’t the big substantive questions,” said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School.
Click through for details.
The Hill – Texas abortion law roils businesses
Quote – Still, as of Tuesday afternoon, only a handful of companies have spoken out against the law. Corporate America has mostly remained silent, despite its vocal opposition to Texas’s restrictive voting bill that was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) Tuesday. “It’s not surprising because this is harder than a number of other issues,” said Sandra Sucher, a professor of management at Harvard Business School. “Abortion is particularly contentious because we know that it relates to people’s religious views, which is kind of a no-go zone for companies.”
Click through for full story.
The New Yorker (Borowitz) – Abbott Considering Other Measures to Prevent People from Ever Setting Foot in Texas
Quote – Although he acknowledged that new laws banning most abortions, restricting voting, and allowing citizens to carry a gun without a permit or training would dissuade many from visiting Texas, Abbott said that “there’s more we can do…. Just spitballing here, but what if we mandated that every visitor to Texas got bitten by a dog or poked with a stick of some kind?” he said. “I’ll be damned if that wouldn’t do the trick.”
Click through for the reat. Andy doing straight news again.
Food for Thought –
Yesterday, I mostly rested. And thought. And crocheted some. I do have a small tip to share – if you are looking for a product and want to order online, either because of CoViD or any other reason, and would really rather not give money to amazon, consider Chewy. Yes, they’re for pets. But there are products which are needed or useful for pet care but which also have household uses completely unrelated to pets. Like, for instance, a “rug rake.” I am the only one who is shedding around here – but the rug rake I got from them is great and came fast. Other things too – cleaning items – you might be surprised. And they are the customer service polar opposite of amazon. I’ve heard stories of their going above and beyond what anyone might think of, let alone expect – like refunding for an automatic delivery upon the death of a pet -and then also sending flowers! They aren’t going to stock everything under the sun … but what they do stock can be surprising.
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Dem Underground – Just click through (NSFW)
This could help get male MAGAts vaccinated with Pfizer – eat your heart out, Moderna and J&J!
The Hill – Supreme Court blocks Biden’s eviction moratorium
Quote – Some 15 million people are currently behind on rent in the U.S., according to one recent estimate, though it was not immediately clear how many tenants could be placed at greater risk of eviction as a result of the court’s move. A patchwork of state and local eviction freezes were unaffected by Thursday’s ruling…. The measure aimed in part to provide an additional layer of protection while emergency federal rental aid made its way to tenants. But the Treasury Department on Wednesday said only some $5 billion of the roughly $46 billion allocated for emergency rental aid had been distributed by state governments.
Click through for more. What I think pisses me off the most is that the moratorium might not even be necessary if the states government would get off their posteriors and distribute the over $40 BILLION on rental aid which they are still sitting on.
Wonkette – Texas’s Law Against Critical Race Theory Is Why Kids In One District Can’t Have Nice Things
Quote – Texas’s dumb law forbidding the teaching of “critical race theory” has led the school district in McKinney, Texas, to eliminate a popular elective program that gave students the chance to participate in a mock legislature and learn how bills are written. The district’s Youth and Government program had been a matter of pride for the schools, touted by the district as a “perennial standout” in its middle and high schools. But an attorney for the district advised that the program might fall afoul of the new law, House Bill 3979, which will go into effect September 1. Beyond banning anything that might make white parents uncomfortable about America’s history, HB 3979 also bars classes that require “political activism” or awarding grades or course credit for any classes “involving social or public policy advocacy,” and puts strict limits on classroom discussion of current events, requiring that “both” sides of any issue be presented equally and “fairly.” That must make science classes a load of fun, too.
Click through for story. Look, I’m not trying to dog on Texas (or Florida or Missouri or Alamaba or any other state where readers live). But some things really can’t be ignored. Or shouldn’t.
Food for Thought –
Yesterday I got a grocery order delivered and put away (which I did just manage to get in on the previous night.) And I made an appointment for my annual checkup which would normally have happened last November but was delayed by the pandemic. And that is just about all I accomplished. Incidentally, I probably will be phasing out Samantha Bee and Bill Maher (if somebody else wants to do them I’ll gladly help), but that’s not why there are none this week. There are no new vids on her channel, and he is still on vacation for another week or two.
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Above the Fray: Changing the Stakes of Supreme Court Selection and Enhancing Legitimacy
This is a readable but also a searchable report from the Project on Government Oversight which is a real keeper. I seldom agree with POGO on every single point and I’m sure this is no exception. But I can’t fault their research
Click through for the full report. IMO it’s a keeper.
Reuters – AG revives immigration judges’ power to postpone deportation cases
Quote – Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a ruling on Thursday restoring the ability of immigration judges to postpone deportation cases while awaiting rulings in related proceedings, which had been eliminated by Trump-era AG Jeff Sessions.
Click through for details (somewhat technical.) Bottom line: People are rightly complaining that immigrants are still being ill-treated. Still having Trumpian regulations on the books is one big reason why. Getting rid of those regulations is a good thing.
AP News – Biden’s Census nominee promises independence, transparency
Quote – President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the U.S. Census Bureau told a Senate committee on Thursday that he would bring transparency and independence to the nation’s largest statistical agency, which was challenged by the pandemic, natural disasters and attempts at political interference while carrying out the 2020 census.
Click through for story. I hope it’s not too late.
Food for Thought:
Glenn Kirschner – DOJ Press Release: Insurrection Investigation Update. Here’s How Prosecutors are Building the Case. !!THIS!!
Michael Wolff on Lawrence O’Donnell (even pros have internet glitches, but it’s a short glitch)
Robert Reich – Why Expanding the Supreme Court is Not Radical
Vote Vets – Texas Veteran Timothy Beauchamp Praises Democrats For Leaving The State To Protect Voting Rights
Liberal Redneck – Caitlyn Jenner Booed at CPAC
Keith Olbermann – yes, two days in a row – another righteous rant.
Beau – Let’s talk about Trump’s buyer’s remorse over Kavanaugh….
It’s a difficult day here in the CatBox. I slept well last night, but I’m ready to sleep all day too. I’m still balancing the methadone and oxycodone. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update as it’d both a grocery delivery day and a WWWendy day. Happy Hump Day!!
Update: I planned to post this about 90 minutes ago, but I dozed off and just woke up.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:24 (average 5:10). To do it, click here. How did you do?
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From The New Yorker: Shortly after the sentencing of Nicolas Sarkozy, Donald J. Trump issued a statement claiming that prison time for the ex-President of France sets a “horrible precedent.”
In the statement, Trump called the corruption case against Sarkozy a “rigged hoax” and claimed that the former French leader was being treated “very unfairly.”
“This should never be allowed to happen in that country,” he said.
Dang Andy! I just can’t imagine why Trump** would feel that way! Can anyone guess? RESIST the Republican Reich!!
From Daily Kos: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a critical challenge to what’s left of the Voting Rights Act after the Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority decision in 2013 carved out the core of the law. At issue Tuesday are two Arizona laws, one requiring election officials to toss ballots that are cast in the wrong precincts and another that would restrict the delivery of mail-in ballots, allowing for just the voter, a family member, or caregiver could collect and deliver a voted ballot. That would prevent campaign workers, community activists, or members like church groups from delivering group ballots. With 43 states considering more than 250 voter suppression bills in the past month, the case has even greater import for the future of voting rights.
It puts into jeopardy Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which “prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in one of the language minority groups” identified as protected by the law. It bans any voting procedure that “results in a denial or abridgment of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race,” a denial or abridgment that occurs when “based on the totality of circumstances,” racial minorities “have less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice.”
This is one we need to watch, but since the Supreme Court is comprised of three SCOTUS vs six SCROTUS (Republican anti-Constitutional VD) my hopes are not high. RESIST the Republican Reich!!
From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Senator Warren: Filibuster Gives McConnell A Veto Over Democratic Majority
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times are more. NUKE the FILIBASTARDS! RESIST the Republican Reich!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): Nights Are Forever Without You – England Dan & John Ford Coley
Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!
It’s a hectic week, here in the CatBox. Today, I want to get as much rest as I can. Tomorrow, WWWendy works at both her day and night job, and Dianna, my home palliative care nurse is on vacation, so Anne, my alternate home palliative care nurse is coming to change my patch. Thursday morning, WWWendy is coming a day late to destink the raunchy TomCat, help with chores, and semi-goop. It’s also grocery delivery day from Store to Door. First thing Friday morning, WWWendy is taking me to the hospital for a CAT Scan, and we’ll pick up a pizza on the Way home. Saturday morning is my regular WWWendy Day, and Tuesday morning WWWendy is taking me for my next infusion or for Evelyn to tell me they aren’t helping (the news we DON’T want). In any case, color me intermittent at best for a week. Is that hectic enough? It’s Tuesday so Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom to flush your Republicans!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:12 (average 3:54). To do it, click here. How did you do?
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Trump* Virus Update:
US Cases: 8,461,037
US Deaths: 225,285
Plus all the Trump*/GOP plague murders Republicans are hiding
Short Takes:
From SCOTUS Blog: A deadlocked Supreme Court on Monday let stand a lower-court ruling that requires Pennsylvania election officials to count absentee ballots received within three days after Election Day, Nov. 3, even if they are not postmarked. In two brief orders issued shortly after 7 p.m., the justices denied, without explanation, a request by Republicans to put the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling on hold. Four justices – Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh – indicated that they would have granted the Republicans’ request.
The order came in a lawsuit filed by the Pennsylvania Democratic Party that challenged various aspects of the state’s absentee-ballot system in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, citing a voting-rights provision of the state’s constitution, ordered several modifications to voting rules, including extending the deadline by which mail-in ballots must be received in order for them to be counted. Previously, that deadline was Election Day, but the state court ruled that ballots should be counted if they are received up to three days after Election Day unless a “preponderance of the evidence” shows that a ballot was mailed after Election Day. That means that ballots lacking clear postmarks may be counted if received by Nov. 6. [emphasis added]
If Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch had already confirmed Amy Coney Bullshit, some PA voters would have lost their right to vote, because Trump* delayed the delivery of those votes by postal sabotage. How many of our rights will we lose when 5 Republican Injustices always vote with SCROTUS (Republican anti-Constitutional venereal disease)? We now have 4 always SCROTUS, 1 usually SCROTUS, 1 moderate, 2 center-left, and Bullshit SCROTUS on-deck. RESIST!!
From YouTube (CNN Channel): Ex-GOP strategist on Trump’s GOP: ‘Burn it down and start over’
Cornhole Cornyn is just trying to duck his fair share of blame for all the Republican policies that he espoused long before Trump*, and that both he and Trump* supported. I half-disagree with Stevens. By all means, burn down the Republican Reich. But why start over? Burn it down, and leave it that way! Build an entirely new party to the left of today’s Democrats, but as long as the Republican Reich exists, the Democrats are the ONLY sane choice! RESIST!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled Water (from The Concert in Central Park)
Ah… the memories! Protest like the 60s! RESIST!!
Monologue – Unfortunately none of these has CC. (Yes, Mary Trump did have a word or two to say about the “crazy uncle” tweet.) We haven’t talked about the soggy laptop here, but there is plenty of substantiation elsewhere that the story is a typical Russian disinformation project.
Fareed Zakaria – I’m sure ine doesn’t have to be an expert to see a relationship between CoViD (and other potential pandemics) and climate change, but you do need at least two brain cells to rub together, and be willing to rub them. Too many people don’t.
New Rule – Good grief, I had no idea there were that many Catholics on the court – I’m Catholic but that’s ridiculous. The word “catholic” means “universal,” and if you look even just at the court at who is catholic and how far apart their views are, you can get a glimpse of why that still has some validity, but not enough for that kind of over-representation. Damn.