I mean they want a One Party rule, they got one there.
American Politics: A Brand New Day
-
-
Unlikely to go far, but it's nice to see voters in Marjorie Taylor Greene's district are filing to have her removed from the ballot:
https://secondnexus.com/voters-in-qanon-rep-s-district-file-to-have-her-removed-from-ballot-for-insurrection?fbclid=IwAR0A25HgdWDpmgM0J949nO1-4juXddT8YvRHSOv_rwWWHaUAdbTxXEvlq28I mean for God's sake she has erased anything remotely candidate-worthy from her profile.
-
https://www.rawstory.com/bruce-bostelman-furries/
When did Nebraska legalize smoking crack and meth?
-
Unlikely to go far, but it's nice to see voters in Marjorie Taylor Greene's district are filing to have her removed from the ballot:
https://secondnexus.com/voters-in-qanon-rep-s-district-file-to-have-her-removed-from-ballot-for-insurrection?fbclid=IwAR0A25HgdWDpmgM0J949nO1-4juXddT8YvRHSOv_rwWWHaUAdbTxXEvlq28I mean for God's sake she has erased anything remotely candidate-worthy from her profile.
That is objectively untrue, as long as she remains a Trump worshipper.
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2022/03/28/day-433/
Day 433: "The illegality was obvious."
1/ A federal judge asserted that Trump “more likely than not” committed felony obstruction in his effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. “Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021,” U.S. District Court Judge David Carter wrote, ordering the release of 101 emails from Trump adviser John Eastman to the Jan. 6 committee. The committee had subpoenaed Eastman’s university email account, which he used to send key legal memos aimed at overturning Biden’s victory, but Eastman sued to prevent the committee from obtaining his emails from the school, claiming attorney-client privilege. “The illegality of the plan was obvious,” Carter wrote, rejecting Eastman’s effort to shield the documents, saying Eastman and Trump “launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history […] it was a coup in search of a legal theory.” The ruling has no direct role in whether Trump will be charged criminally. (Washington Post / CNN / New York Times / Politico / ABC News / Associated Press / NBC News)
2/ Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife sent 21 text messages to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows imploring him to take steps to overturn the 2020 election in the weeks after Election Day. Virginia Thomas (who goes by Ginni) regularly checked in with Meadows to encourage him to push claims of voter fraud and work to overturn the election. Thomas also shared several false QAnon-related conspiracy theories, including that Trump had deliberately “watermarked” mail ballots to find potential voter fraud. In February 2021, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s effort to block a Jan. 6 committee subpoena for White House records related to the certification of the election and the Capitol insurrection. Instead of recusing himself from the case, Thomas wrote in a dissent that it was “baffling” and “inexplicable” that the majority had decided against hearing the cases. The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection said it will seek an interview with Virginia Thomas. (Washington Post / CBS News / CNN / New York Times / The Guardian / Business Insider / Wall Street Journal / NBC News)
3/ Jared Kushner is expected to voluntarily appear before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. In text messages to Mark Meadows, Ginni Thomas suggested that she was in contact with Kushner regarding Trump attorney Sidney Powell, who promoted false conspiracy theories about widespread voting fraud. (ABC News)
4/ Biden stood by his ad-libbed comment that Putin “cannot remain in power,” claiming he was expressing “moral outrage” rather than “articulating a policy change” during his Saturday speech in Warsaw. “I’m not walking anything back,” Biden said of his unscripted comment. “I make no apologies for it.” Biden added that it was “ridiculous” for any one to view his comment as a call for regime change, saying: “Nobody believes […] I was talking about taking down Putin.” (New York Times / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Washington Post / CNBC / Associated Press / NBC News)
5/ Biden proposed a $5.8 trillion budget, which calls for deficit reduction, a new minimum tax on billionaires, and increased funding for police and gun violence prevention. The 2023 budget proposal in fiscal 2023, which begins in October, calls for $1.6 trillion in discretionary spending – a 7% increase over current levels. The White House projects that the proposed budget would reduce the federal deficit by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. Congress, however, is in charge of writing the federal budget and often ignores White House proposals. (NPR / New York Times / Bloomberg / USA Today / Associated Press / Politico / NBC News / Washington Post / CNN / Wall Street Journal)
6/ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The measure — titled the Parental Rights in Education bill — prohibits “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in the state’s public schools and allows parents to sue their school district over violations. (ABC News / NPR / NBC News / Associated Press)
poll/ 40% of Americans approve of the job Biden is doing as president – the lowest mark of his presidency. 71% of Americans said they believe the U.S. is on the wrong track, while 22% said they believe it’s headed in the right direction. (NBC News)
poll/ 56% of Americans said Biden has not been “tough enough” on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, while 55% said they believed the U.S. should sanction Russia “as effectively as possible,” even if it hurts the U.S. economy. (Axios)
-
40% of Americans approve of the job Biden is doing as president – the lowest mark of his presidency. 71% of Americans said they believe the U.S. is on the wrong track, while 22% said they believe it’s headed in the right direction.
Sure would be nice if he'd manage to keep one or two of his campaign promises. "Not Trump" isn't going to win midterms.
-
Sure would be nice if he'd manage to keep one or two of his campaign promises. "Not Trump" isn't going to win midterms.
From what I've followed it's a bit of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't", and I'm not sure what's more damning, myself.
Should he attempt to keep his promises, knowing there's good odds them be tanked by Republicans, Manchin, and/Sinema? Or not yet at all and focus on whatever he can be doing?
To my mind, does he look worse/weaker for trying and failing, or for not trying at all?
-
To my mind, does he look worse/weaker for trying and failing, or for not trying at all?
Damned if you do, damned if you don't indeed.
And the grasp of the Senate majority is already tenuous is as. Even if the Dems only lose 1 seat it's just gonna get trickier.
-
Tying is better than not trying. If it gets blocked, voters can at least see that the attempt was made… and all the pressure comes down on the holdouts.
If he does nothing it looks like he just made empty promises and no intention at all.
Yeah Manchin is a roadblock, so pay the asshole his giant bribe and get stuff done, and then tax it back from him a year or two later.
Or, Biden isnsists he's the bipartisan guy, is there not a single republican willing to coe over and negotiate? If they meet even one republican in the middle Manchin loses ALL his negotiating power.
Instead they're going to lose seats in the midterms (because it ALWAYS happens for sitting presidents) and then they'll REALLY get nothing done.
There's only another 6 months to even TRY. After November they're going to lose the slim tie they have and its over, McConnel will just block everything for the following two years, and who knows if a president that has, on paper, not accomplished anything, can get re-elected?
(Yes I know he's managed a lot of things and done some good and helped the economy recover, and Covid aint his fault, but thats not going to register for most voters.) .
A lot of people didn't want Biden. They just wanted Not Trump. He's gotta do SOMETHING to encourage people.
-
Sure would be nice if he'd manage to keep one or two of his campaign promises. "Not Trump" isn't going to win midterms.
As a non-american who's often out of the loop,
two months ago I asked some of my friends on Discord if Biden had made any progress on his pledges to:- Start the path towards completely abolishing capital punishment
- Overturn all non-violent weed convictions for prisoners, and work towards full legalization of recreational use
And they pretty much laughed in my face before bemoaning that Biden has done jack shit.
So yeah… extreme disappointment. -
Or, Biden isnsists he's the bipartisan guy, is there not a single republican willing to coe over and negotiate? If they meet even one republican in the middle Manchin loses ALL his negotiating power.
How do you meet a Republican in the middle on tax hikes for the rich or immigration reform or strengthening of voting rights?
These people have made it clear for the last 16 years their idea of meeting in the middle is getting what they want while democrats get next to nothing. While deliberately fucking shit up when they’re in control of the legislature while at the same time stalling when their guy is not in the White House.
The sad reality is unless democrats can field better candidates for the senate and house and win those elections the legislative process is fucked.
-
Didn't Biden say he's only doing one term? I can't imagine he could make another full term, as the guy is pretty old.
-
It was originally kind of implied but he's pushed back on any attempts to state that outright.
-
How do you meet a Republican in the middle on tax hikes for the rich or immigration reform or strengthening of voting d.
They're not a hive mind. Yeah all the famous ones are assholes but there's gotta be ONE that's more centrist. they were able to get bipartisan on the relief bill, now you just need one willing to do what's good for their state.
They present uniformly but there's like 40 reps you never hear about.
Even an absolute garbage compromise is better than literally nothing. We need environmental stuff done, that's bigger than politics.
Instead we get a literal coal baron voting against clean energy. LITERALLY a coal baron.
-
Honestly, I don't blame biden for manchin and sinema holding the senate hostage. He's doing the best he can with what he has.
-
@Johnny:
Didn't Biden say he's only doing one term? I can't imagine he could make another full term, as the guy is pretty old.
He just went back and said he plans to run for a second term last year, I guess.
-
Speaking of differences between Republicans, the newbie Cawthorn says he's been invited to orgies. And the GOP is PISSED.
https://secondnexus.com/mccarthy-cawthorn-orgy-comments-representatives?fbclid=IwAR3qy1J5OOV_tkiRHMxZpgdc83esohtp7-U8N9xOarh9fUwKY7h7rXCzNo0Who knows, maybe he was telling the truth and they just don't it to get out. Or he's just being an idiot and the GOP don't want even more idiots.
@The:
Honestly, I don't blame biden for manchin and sinema holding the senate hostage. He's doing the best he can with what he has.
And what he has is shit. He hasn't gotten as much stuff done as I would like, but at least he's gotten the infrastructure bill through, and that is REALLY important. The infrastructure in the US is shit. The only problem is that isn't as interesting as something like a Universal Health bill so it doesn't get as much celebration.
-
They're not a hive mind. Yeah all the famous ones are assholes but there's gotta be ONE that's more centrist.
You do have some Republicans who can be centrist or moderate when the mood strikes them but perpetually?
Even an absolute garbage compromise is better than literally nothing.
Wasn’t taking the Public Option out of the ACA specifically to convince Republicans to support it (which they didn’t) essentially that?
Instead we get a literal coal baron voting against clean energy. LITERALLY a coal baron.
While that is shitty it bothers me way less than Manchin fucking over the less financially stable individuals in his state by doing things such as telling his own party “I’m not voting for this bill unless you cut the amount of money people will receive for Covid relief” and then turns around and bristles at the thought of people like him and Jeff Bezos some of whom made money hand over fist during Covid paying taxes at a higher rate.
-
Speaking of differences between Republicans, the newbie Cawthorn says he's been invited to orgies. And the GOP is PISSED.
https://secondnexus.com/mccarthy-cawthorn-orgy-comments-representatives?fbclid=IwAR3qy1J5OOV_tkiRHMxZpgdc83esohtp7-U8N9xOarh9fUwKY7h7rXCzNo0Who knows, maybe he was telling the truth and they just don't it to get out. Or he's just being an idiot and the GOP don't want even more idiots.
And what he has is shit. He hasn't gotten as much stuff done as I would like, but at least he's gotten the infrastructure bill through, and that is REALLY important. The infrastructure in the US is shit. The only problem is that isn't as interesting as something like a Universal Health bill so it doesn't get as much celebration.
Meh. I'm still voting for him again. Because literally any actual democrat is better than any republican. If we get a republican in the oval office any time soon, democracy in the United States might not survive.
-
Wasn’t taking the Public Option out of the ACA specifically to convince Republicans to support it (which they didn’t) essentially that?
That was to appease Lieberman as I recall since he said he'd filibuster any bill that contained a public option.
-
You do have some Republicans who can be centrist or moderate when the mood strikes them but perpetually?
It doesn't need to be perpetually. Just for one big super important thing, convince them that the public good is more important than the political win.
And if you get them to cross the aisle once, that becomes easier in the future.
They DID get many of them to go in on covid relief.
Then Biden botched it by going back on his word, held that hostage to the enviornmental stuff for months…. and then passed it without that anyway.
He'd actually managed to get some good will and cooperation. He did the "impossible" thing and got a lot of senators to cross the aisle.
Then he basically spit on them and punished them for taking that step by holding them hostage to the equally (more) important second bill, and now they're unwilling to help with anything else.
Obviously I don't know the people personally, and Biden has for decades, so maybe that's the only way it could possibly have shaken out and there was never any chance of any republican at all saying "hey, the energy stuff is important too" ... and they probably DESERVED to be "betrayed" and held hostage... but it DOES show that there are some willing to disobey Mitch if its big enough and important enough. Or at least there were. Any chance of that might be gone now.
I eman, they negotiated with Manchin, and just Manchin, for months, and cut trillions out of the bill just to appease one man and then it didn't even go through anyway! Guy was NEVER going to vote for it. Would have good faith negotiating with a Rep have been any worse than cutting it in half and then not passing it at all?
t of the ACA specifically to convince Republicans to support it (which they didn’t) essentially that?
Sure. And as a result, it got through. It's a shitty absolute garbage compromise that gutted what the bill should have been in an ideal world, but it was still better than literally nothing. It saved lives and helped people and got the groundwork down to hopefully expand in the future if the Dems ever get an actual majority again.
The hope was that would get support. It didn't.
But the reality is it kept it from getting filibustered into not happening at all if it had kept the full package.
-
@Johnny:
Didn't Biden say he's only doing one term? I can't imagine he could make another full term, as the guy is pretty old.
It was originally kind of implied but he's pushed back on any attempts to state that outright.
I guess it's not a good look for Dems - with midterms looming - to have their guy admit he's gonna be a one and done President. The way I see, Biden will have a "well we'll see" kinda attitude and probably bow out in the eleventh hour? Assuming someone will step up. Good lord I'm not ready for Biden v. Trump round 2.
.
But the reality is it kept it from getting filibustered into not happening at all if it had kept the full package.
Maybe one could argue the goods of this tactic but good lord I am not seeing it. Getting a 2/3 majority is already tough in this bipartisan day and age, but just to have the opposite side stall it out and say "yeah fuck your majority"?
President Biden expressed support for reforming or abolishing the filibuster after Senate Republicans led by Mitch McConnell blocked the
Freedom to Vote Act along party lines on October 20, 2021.On January 20, 2022, the Senate voted against changing its rules to allow a debate and roll call vote on voting rights legislation. Every Republican senator voted against the rule change along with Senators Manchin and Sinema
gee i am so surprised
-
Maybe one could argue the goods of this tactic but good lord I am not seeing it. Getting a 2/3 majority is already tough in this bipartisan day and age, but just to have the opposite side stall it out and say "yeah fuck your majority"?
Once upon a time a million years ago the filibuster had legitimate use and merit. But its been so abused and corrupted that at this point its basically just evil.
They don't even have to stand there and talk for 14 hours straight anymore, they can just say "I filibuster" and its considered done. It's stupid.
-
I ask - rhetorically - is there any political or civil institution on the US that has not a past of racist segregation?
PBS? Not for the lack of trying on the part of certain states though.
-
Sing it, Randy
And fuck you, DeSantis.
-
Madison Cawthorn showing how big Republican are on that whole “we’re a nation of laws thing”
https://www.rawstory.com/watch-new-dashcam-footage-shows-a-shocked-madison-cawthorn-after-officer-informs-him-his-car-is-registered-to-his-father/ -
Good luck trying to get cheap insulin.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/health/insulin-price-house-bill-democrats.amp.html -
So the House voted to continue NATO support (duh), in a 362-63 vote. All 63 of those votes are Republican, which is nearly ONE THIRD of the entire GOP Caucus.
https://theweek.com/nato/1012212/63-republicans-vote-against-house-resolution-affirming-support-for-nato-and-itsAnd some of their reasons are awful. But why would any be good?
Good luck trying to get cheap insulin.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/health/insulin-price-house-bill-democrats.amp.htmlInfuriating.
-
Good luck trying to get cheap insulin.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/health/insulin-price-house-bill-democrats.amp.htmlthis is extra infuriating when you have had family members with diabetes. 10 Repub senate votes when they already won't budge on ANYTHING? christ
-
Congratulations to Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was confirmed as the first Black woman Supreme Court Justice earlier today. https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/ketanji-brown-jackson-senate-confirmation-vote/index.html
And good on Biden for delivering on a central campaign promise.
-
Exellent! Ruth Bader Ginsburg is smiling from above.
-
Exellent! Ruth Bader Ginsburg is smiling from above.
Except this isn't her replacement. Her seat was stolen.
We need Thomas, Roberts or Alito to stop being a judge in the next couple months if we're going to get any semblance of balance back.
After Dems lose the bare majority in November they're not getting anything done for at least another 2 years.
-
Except this isn't her replacement. Her seat was stolen.
Scalia's seat was stolen. It sucks that Ginsburg died when she did, but I think Trump was within his rights to appoint a new Justice.
Unless there's something I'm missing.
-
He technically was, but she was appointed when the election was only 38 days away and RBG requested that seat not be filled until after. The kicker is that Obama tried to appoint Merrick Garland for the court in his final year, but the Republicans refused to hold hearings for it. Because they wanted to wait for the next president.
-
He technically was, but she was appointed when the election was only 38 days away and RBG requested that seat not be filled until after. The kicker is that Obama tried to appoint Merrick Garland for the court in his final year, but the Republicans refused to hold hearings for it. Because they wanted to wait for the next president.
And the Democrats couldn't refuse to hold hearings for Barrett because…yadda, yadda, yadda, Republicans always get their way.
-
Scalia's seat was stolen. It sucks that Ginsburg died when she did, but I think Trump was within his rights to appoint a new Justice.
Unless there's something I'm missing.
Scalia's seat was delayed by a solid year claiming "oh its an election year and the people should choose", setting a new precedent. A shitty one, but that was the talking point and they got away with it because the Dems assumed Hillary was a shoo in and didn't fight harder for it. (They COULD have called a vote at any time, its only formality that gives voting control to the majority leader. As we learned when a covid bill came up and Reps stalled on that and the minority forced a vote)
Its INCREDIBLY shitty that they did that, but if both sides agreed to that and kept it going for decades to come, okay, that's the new normal, no new justices in an election year.
And then, breaking their own precedent that they set four years earlier, rushed Barrett through in like a week after the election had already started.
One or the other was stolen, either way its hypocrisy that changed the rules to "you only get to choose a justice if you have the majority". And we now know that McConnel would hold a seat, or multiple, for three or four years if he had to because he'd be allowed to get away with it.
The Scalia seat was replacing Rep with Rep. So it sucks we didn't get to finally shift the court the other way, but at least it was only staying where it had been. The RBG seat was replacing Dem with Rep, so it's long term consequences are much worse. Scales are balanced 6-3 instead of 5-4 and that's just… really bad.
Also, lets not get into how Kennedy suddenly announced he was retiring like two days before it came out that his son was at the bank that was giving Trump foreign loans.
ANy event, we need one of the other 3 Bush judges to retire or die in the next three or four months if there's going to be any fixing the scale. So we can maybe push one through before November. And they're obviously not going to retire while Dems have control.
-
"We were angered, embarrassed and appalled at being referred to as a 'white people!' by a sitting council person!" the complaint reads. "Does she realize her social media comments could actually put us in danger?"
They’d probably hate being called Caucasian too cause of how close it sounds to Asian.
-
In what should probably not be too surprising, a study shows that when you actually stop watching partisan media (Fox News), you stop having such biased, uninformed opinions:
https://secondnexus.com/study-fox-news-viewers-cnn?fbclid=IwAR2fF1NBVFdbtow-le3-qM-wSHWnnIOdgt-iuQdUImbHKLDUGsS-TAEl6uEUnfortunately the subjects went back to watching Fox News afterwards and lost all their enlightenment.
-
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2022/04/11/day-447/
Day 447: "We control them all."
1/ The Jan. 6 committee reportedly has enough evidence to refer Trump for criminal charges, but it’s concerned that making a referral to the Justice Department would politicize the investigation. While the panel plans to issue a detailed report of its findings, members and aides said they’re reluctant to support a criminal referral because it would create the impression that Democrats had asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Trump. Rep. Liz Cheney, however, added that “there’s not really a dispute on the committee” that Trump and a number of people around him knew their actions were “unlawful” but “did it anyway.” She said the committee has “not made a decision” regarding a referral. (New York Times / CNN / NBC News / The Guardian)
2/ Trump Jr. texted then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows ideas for overturning the 2020 election before it was called. On November 5 – two days after the 2020 election – Trump Jr. texted Meadows: “This is what we need to do please read it and please get it to everyone that needs to see it because I’m not sure we’re doing it,” adding: “It’s very simple […] We have multiple paths We control them all.” The text messages outlined strategies the Trump team went on to pursue, including disseminating lies about election fraud and pressuring state and federal officials from certifying their results. Biden was declared the winner of the election two days later on November 7. (CNN / The Guardian)
3/ A leader of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty to two felony charges and agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department. Charles Donohoe pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting an officer. He faces more than seven years in prison. (CNN / Washington Post)
4/ Philadelphia reinstated its citywide indoor mask mandate after a 50% increase in Covid-19 cases in the past 10 days. The order, which takes effect April 18, makes Philadelphia the first major U.S. city to reinstate an indoor masking, and comes just over a month after it was officially lifted. (New York Times / Bloomberg / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)
5/ Biden announced a new federal rule to regulate homemade guns known as “ghost guns” more like regular guns, including requiring serial numbers and background checks for purchase. The new rule expands the definition of a “firearm” to cover “buy build shoot” kits that people can buy online or from a firearm dealer and assemble themselves. About 20,000 suspected ghost guns were recovered by law enforcement last year during criminal investigations. Biden also said he was nominating Steve Dettelbach to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which has been without a Senate-confirmed director since 2015. (NPR / NBC News / ABC News / Washington Post)
6/ The White House warned that the Labor Department’s consumer price index report will show that inflation is “extraordinarily elevated.” Jen Psaki said the previous report — which showed prices rising 7.9% over the last 12 months in February – doesn’t reflect the effect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on oil and gas prices. The Bureau of Labor Statistics will issue its March update to the consumer price index on Tuesday. Biden’s top economic adviser, meanwhile, said that while the U.S. economy is “facing a lot of uncertainty, we are facing rocky waters,” the U.S. is “probably better positioned than any other major economy to navigate effectively through them.” (CNBC / Bloomberg / Axios)
poll/ 71% of Americans blame Putin for the recent increase in gas prices, while 68% blame oil companies, and 51% blame Biden. (ABC News)
-
It's good to see that the majority of those polled aren't blaming Biden for the gas prices. Unfortunately I don't think those numbers hold over to the majority of Americans in general.
-
This post is deleted!
-
Oklahoma is on it's way to kill Roe.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/12/politics/oklahoma-abortion-ban-kevin-stitt/index.html -
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2022/04/12/day-448/
1/ U.S. inflation hit a 40-year high of 8.5% in March – the sharpest year-over-year increase since December 1981. It’s the sixth-straight month of inflation above 6%. The Federal Reserve’s average target is 2%. From February to March, inflation rose 1.2% – the biggest month-to-month jump since 2005 – with gasoline prices tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine driving more than half that increase. Since then, however, the national average for a gallon of gasoline has dropped to $4.10 – down from $4.33 – and several economists say March may be a high-water mark for overall inflation. (Associated Press / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Washington Post / CNBC)
2/ The Biden administration will temporarily allow E15 gasoline to be sold this summer to help ease gas prices. Gasoline that uses a 15% ethanol blend is usually banned from from June to September under the Clean Air Act because the blend’s higher volatility contributes to smog in warmer weather. The White House believes that the use of E15 can shave 10 cents off each gallon of gasoline, casting the decision as a move toward “energy independence.” Energy experts, however, say it would have a marginal impact at the pump because E15 gas is only available at about 2,300 fueling stations. Biden acknowledged that the move is “not going to solve all our problems, but it’s going to help some people,” adding that Americans’ ability to fill their gas tanks should not “hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide half a world away.” (NPR / Bloomberg / Washington Post / New York Times / CNBC / NBC News)
3/ Putin declared that peace talks with Kyiv had reached a “dead end” and that Russia’s “military operation will continue until its full completion” and its goals are met. Putin also dismissed evidence of Russian atrocities – dead civilians lying in the streets with bound hands, close-range gunshot wounds to the head, and signs of torture – in Bucha as “fake.” Separately, the U.S., Britain, and Australia said they were investigating an allegation that Russia had used “a poisonous substance of unknown origin” in Mariupol that may have sickened a handful of people. The Pentagon called the potential use of chemical weapons “deeply concerning” and said it was planning to expand the weapons it’s sending Ukraine to include Mi-17 helicopters that can be equipped to attack Russian vehicles, armored Humvees, and a range of other arms. (New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / BBC)
4/ The U.S. ordered all non-emergency staff to leave its consulate in Shanghai as more than 200,000 Covid-19 cases have been reported since the start of March – its worst outbreak since the initial phase of the pandemic in early 2020. Most of Shanghai’s 25 million residents have been confined to their homes for up to three weeks as China maintains its “zero-Covid” strategy of handling outbreaks. The State Department had issued a travel advisory on April 8 warning U.S. citizens about “arbitrary enforcement of local laws” and Covid-19. restrictions. (Bloomberg / NPR / CNBC)
5/ Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law that makes performing an abortion a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The bill does not provide exceptions in cases of rape and incest – only in the case of a medical emergency. (CNN / Associated Press)
6/ Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation that makes it a felony to provide gender-affirming medical care to people under 19. The law makes Alabama the third state in the country to pass a restriction on gender-affirming care for minors, though it is the first state to impose criminal penalties. Ivey also signed legislation that requires students to use school facilities for the sex listed on their original birth certificates and prohibits classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-5 – adopting language used in Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. (NBC News / New York Times)
-
Oklahoma is on it's way to kill Roe.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/12/politics/oklahoma-abortion-ban-kevin-stitt/index.htmlIt's my state, because of course it is.
Blue states are going to need to set up refugee systems. I've gotta get out of here.
-
5/ Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law that makes performing an abortion a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. T
6/ Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation that makes it a felony to provide gender-affirming medical care to people under 19.
jesus christ it just gets worse and worse
-
An empire in decline! And we all get to live through it.
Here's a fun thought experiment: if you could get out of this backwards and increasingly unstable country and move somewhere else, where would it be and why?
I'm thinking southwestern EU area, somewhere up on a hill. Cheap enough to get some land a bit out of the way, set up a little garden where the climate wars might pass me and mine by.
-
I mean, Canada seems the obvious choice. English-speaking, still in North America, but without nearly as much shit as we have. Yes, they have their own problems, but so does every country.
My dad sincerely told me I should move to Scandinavia, and hey, if I could speak one of their languages and get a job there, I might have. Only other places I'd move are Scotland or Japan.
-
New Zealand. Visited a couple years ago and it was quite nice. Even with a conservative president they have their shit together.
-
To be fair, it's easier for a country to keep their shit together when they're small. Large countries like the US, Russia, and China have a lot of land and a lot of people to keep in order. That's not easy.