This content is for Monthly Audio, Monthly Audio + Happy Hour Video, Yearly Audio, Yearly Audio + Happy Hour Video, and Give the Stephanie Miller Podcast! members only.
Register
Register
Already a member? Log in here
Flight lands in Qatar after Taliban cleared Americans and others to leave Afghanistan
The first international passenger flight to take off from Afghanistan since the chaotic US military airlift last month landed in Qatar on Thursday, carrying more than 100 foreign nationals, including Americans, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
Passengers on board the chartered Qatar Airways flight that departed from Kabul airport — including Canadian, Ukrainian, German, British and US citizens — were among some 200 foreigners that the Taliban have cleared to leave the country, the source said.
Air travelers refusing to wear masks could face up to $3,000 fines
Air travelers who refuse to wear masks could be fined up to $3,000, starting Friday.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Thursday it will double fines for those who flout federal mask mandates for air travel.
First-time offenders will be fined $500-$1,000, while repeat offenders will be forced to shell out $1,000-$3,000.
Justice Department sues Texas over restrictive abortion law
The Biden administration is filing a lawsuit against Texas challenging its near-total ban on abortions, which the Supreme Court declined to block last week.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday that the Justice Department filed the suit against Texas over its law, which he called “clearly unconstitutional under longstanding Supreme Court precedent.”
“The United States has the authority and the responsibility to ensure that no state can deprive individuals of their constitutional rights to a legislative scheme specifically designed to prevent the vindication of those rights,” Garland said at a news conference.
Biden Expands Vaccine Push With Mandates For Private Sector
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping vaccination and testing requirements for federal government workers, contractors and even private sector employees, as his administration works to fight the spreading coronavirus.
All federal workers and contractors will need to get fully vaccinated in the coming weeks, as will health care workers at providers that receive federal funding through Medicaid and Medicare. The administration will also require all businesses with 100 or more employees to require testing at least once a week for unvaccinated workers.
Florida judge orders immediate lifting of DeSantis ban on school mask mandates
A judge on Wednesday ruled that Florida must immediately stop enforcing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates in schools, refusing to issue a stay as the state appeals his decision.
Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper argued that the state had failed to prove that an appeal would be successful and that delaying his order was necessary to avoid irreparable harm.
The state is challenging the ruling with the state’s 1st District Court of Appeals.
“We are not in normal times. We are in a pandemic. We have children that can’t be protected by vaccination,” Cooper said in court, according to NBC Miami. “Children are at risk and they provide at least some protection by masking.”
Pelosi to hold security briefing ahead of Sept. 18 rally planned by Trump supporters
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited her fellow congressional leaders from the House and the Senate to a security briefing about a rally planned at the Capitol in support of people who were arrested during the Jan. 6 riot.
Pelosi, D-Calif., invited Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to the briefing on Sept. 13, the Monday before the rally, which is scheduled for Sept. 18, said a source familiar with the meeting.
Biden Ousts 18 Trump Military Academy Board Appointees
The Biden administration on Wednesday removed 18 appointees named to U.S. military academy boards by Donald Trump in the final months of the Republican president’s term in office, according to the White House.
Cathy Russell, director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, sent letters to 18 people named to the boards of visitors for the Air Force Academy, Military Academy and Naval Academy calling on them to resign by close of business on Wednesday or face termination.
Among those Biden ousted are some high-profile Trump administration officials, including White House counselor Kellyanne Conway (Air Force Academy), press secretary Sean Spicer (Naval Academy), national security adviser H.R. McMaster (Military Academy) and Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought (Naval Academy).
Los Angeles Set To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines For Students 12 And Older
The Los Angeles Unified School District is expected to become the first major district in the country to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for students 12 and older, a significant step to protect young people amid the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus.
The district’s Board of Education has scheduled a meeting for Thursday to vote on the vaccine mandate, which is likely to be approved. The Los Angeles Times notes a majority of the board has already said publicly they are in favor of the step or are leaning toward passage.
White House taps populist message as Biden pushes $3.5T plan
The White House is preparing an urgent and populist message for selling President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion “build back better” agenda, even as House committee leaders begin churning out pieces of the forthcoming measure.
In a memo being sent Tuesday to Capitol Hill and obtained by The Associated Press, the administration warns there is no time to waste in passing the package of corporate tax hikes and domestic initiatives by the end of the month.
There were nearly 300% more new COVID cases on average this Labor Day than last year
The average weekly number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. was nearly 300% higher this Labor Day weekend compared to the same time last year, data from Johns Hopkins University shows. The average number of deaths was more than 86% higher compared to the same period in 2020.
There were 1.146 million weekly cases this past weekend compared to 287,235 last year.
Texas Gov. Abbott defends new abortion law, vows to ‘eliminate all rapists’
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defended the state’s restrictive new abortion law Tuesday, saying it doesn’t force victims of rape to give birth and vowing to “eliminate all rapists.”
Abbott, a Republican, took questions from reporters Tuesday morning after an event at which he signed a sweeping election billinto law. Asked whether the abortion law would force rape victims to give birth, he said: “It doesn’t require that at all, obviously. It provides at least six weeks for a person to get an abortion.”
Biden calls for action on climate change while in New York, New Jersey touring damage from Ida
President Joe Biden on Tuesday continued his tour of damage caused by Hurricane Ida, traveling to New York and New Jersey to see first-hand the devastation the massive storm inflicted on the Northeast.
The president was reprising his role as consoler in chief, meeting with local leaders to get briefed on damage to the area before touring a neighborhood in Manville, New Jersey, and then heading to Queens in New York City to see the damage there and deliver remarks.
Read the rest of the story at ABC News
Ex-FBI official says law enforcement needs to take upcoming right-wing rally in DC ‘very seriously’
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Monday evening that law enforcement needs to take the upcoming right-wing rally in support of jailed January 6 rioters“very seriously” as concerns mount about more potential violence on Capitol Hill.
“I think they should take it very seriously. In fact, they should take it more seriously than they took the same sort of intelligence that they likely saw on January 5,” McCabe, a CNN contributor, told CNN’s Poppy Harlow on “Erin Burnett OutFront.”
Jobless Americans left scrambling after pandemic unemployment benefits end
Nearly 18 months after Congress came to the rescue of jobless Americans, its historic expansion of the nation’s unemployment benefits system expired nationwide this weekend. Lawmakers, who extended the three pandemic programs in December and March, are not expected to renew them again.
A key component of the relief effort was a federal weekly supplement for out-of-work Americans. Initially, the jobless received a $600-a-week boost from April through July of 2020. Congress then revived the enhancement in late December but reduced it to $300 a week.
Justice Department Says It Will Protect Abortion Seekers In Texas
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday that the Justice Department will work to protect the safety of people seeking abortions in Texas as the agency continues to explore how it can challenge the state’s new anti-abortion law.
Garland said in a statement that while the Justice Department urgently explores “all options” to challenge the Texas law, “we will continue to protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services pursuant to our criminal and civil enforcement of the FACE Act.” The department will also provide federal law enforcement support when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is “under attack,” according to the attorney general.
Charlie Pierce: The Phantom Revolution
I have lived through more than a few revolutions. Sometime around half past Woodstock in the 1960s, revolution became a very effective marketing tool, and suddenly we were up to our Bakunins in revolutions meant to sell us things. In no particular order, I have lived through the Civil Rights Revolution, the Sexual Revolution, the Youth Revolution, the Reagan Revolution, and the Gingrich Revolution. I have lived through the Genetic Revolution and the Digital Revolution. I have lived through a couple Jesus Revolutions, and I am currently living through the Social Media Revolution. I’ll let you know how that last one turns out.
At the moment, however, and for the foreseeable future, we are also living through an extended period of what can justly be called the Phantom Revolution, in which we rebel against threats to our liberty that don’t actually exist but that we create for ourselves.
Pfizer Booster Likely Ready To Roll Out Beginning Week Of Sept. 20, Dr. Fauci Predicts
The U.S. could be prepared to start rolling out distribution of a Pfizer booster shot for COVID-19 beginning the week of Sept. 20 — but Moderna may take bit longer, Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.
“Looks like Pfizer has their data in, likely would meet the deadline,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on “Face the Nation” on CBS.
“We hope that Moderna would also be able to do it, so we could do it simultaneously. But if not, we’ll do it sequentially,” Fauci added. “So bottom line is very likely at least part of the plan will be implemented, but, ultimately, the entire plan … It looks good.”
Wendy Molyneux: “OH MY FU**ING GOD, GET THE FU**ING VACCINE ALREADY, YOU FU**ING FU**S”
Hi, if you are reading this essay then congratulations, you are still alive. And if you are alive, then you have either gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, or you still have the opportunity to get the vaccine against COVID-19. And holy fuck, if you aren’t fucking vaccinated against COVID-19, then you need to get fucking vaccinated right now. I mean, what the fuck? Fuck you. Get vaccinated. Fuck.
The fucking vaccine will not make you magnetic. Are you fucking kidding me? It just fucking won’t. That’s not even a fucking thing, and that lady who tried to pretend the vaccine made her fucking magnetic looked like a real fucking fuckwad and a fucking idiot, so get fucking vaccinated. Jesus. Fuck.
Florida governor appeals ruling on masks in schools
The governor’s lawyers took their case Thursday to the 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee. DeSantis wants the appeals court to reverse last week’s decision by Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper, which essentially gave Florida‘s 67 school boards the power to impose a student mask mandate without parental consent. Cooper’s ruling was automatically stayed by the appeal.
Biden blasts Supreme Court’s “unprecedented assault” on abortion rights in Texas
President Biden condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Texas’ ban on most abortions to remain in place as “an unprecedented assault on a woman’s constitutional rights,” pledging to launch a “whole-of-government” effort to protect access to safe and legal abortion in the state.
Why it matters: The ban, which took effect Wednesday, is the most restrictive abortion law to be enforced since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.
GOP Congressman to ask leader to boot Cheney and Kinzinger from conference
Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona plans to send a letter to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday asking him to remove Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger from the GOP Conference because they accepted Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s appointments to the January 6 select committee.
Removal from the conference requires a two thirds vote of all its members. Typically, only the party leader can bring such a motion to a vote. Biggs, the chair of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, previously called for Kinzinger’s and Cheney’s expulsion in July, but the effort gained little momentum.
Officers and paramedics charged in death of Elijah McClain
A grand jury has returned a 32-count indictment against officers and paramedics involved in the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was put in a chokehold by Aurora police and injected with a sedative during an August 2019 arrest, Colorado’s attorney general announced Wednesday. The charges include manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
McClain’s death gained widespread attention last year amid a national reckoning on police brutality and racial injustice that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
At least 8 killed as Ida batters New York, New Jersey with floods and emergencies
At least eight people were killed as the remnants of Hurricane Idabattered New York and New Jersey with tornadoes, record rain and flooding that left both areas deluged and under states of emergency on Thursday.
Videos on social media showed cars submerged on highways and water pouring into subway stations and homes after a wind-driven downpour shattered rainfall records and prompted an unprecedented flash flood emergency for New York City.
Supreme Court Declines To Block Extreme Texas Abortion Law In 5-4 Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court said Wednesday night it would not block Texas’ extreme new law that criminalizes abortion after six weeks, a striking defeat for abortion rights advocates who say the ban is a direct assault on Roe v. Wade.
The ruling was 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts siding with the court’s three liberal members.
The majority issued a brief decision saying that, although women’s health groups had raised “serious questions about the constitutionality” of the law, the application failed to “carry the burden” necessary for an injunction while any legal challenges work their way through the courts.
Texas Republicans’ restrictive election bill gets final green light
Texas lawmakers passed a restrictive elections bill out of the state legislature on Tuesday, after a monthslong battle with Democrats who fled the legislature repeatedly to try and block the bill.
The bill passed the Texas House and Senate on Tuesday afternoon in a pair of votes with on; it now heads to the desk of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it into law. The legislation, a sweeping overhaul of election rules and regulations, will likely be challenged in the courts.
Hurricane Ida Leaves Louisiana Without Power, Water, Gasoline
Hundreds of thousands of Louisianans sweltered in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Tuesday with no electricity, no tap water, precious little gasoline and no clear idea of when things might improve.
Long lines that wrapped around the block formed at the few gas stations that had fuel and generator power to pump it. People cleared rotting food out of refrigerators. Neighbors shared generators and borrowed buckets of swimming pool water to bathe or to flush toilets.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us and no one is under the illusion that this is going to be a short process,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said as the cleanup and rebuilding began across the soggy region in the oppressive late-summer heat.
Biden Defends Afghanistan Withdrawal: ‘I Was Not Going To Extend This Forever War’
President Joe Biden stood by his decision to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by Aug. 31, saying his decision to do so saved lives and ended America’s longest war, which had cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars.
“I was not going to extend this forever war, and I was not extending a forever exit,” Biden said in a fierce speech at the White House on Tuesday. “I take responsibility for the decision.”
On Monday, the U.S. had finally withdrawn the last of its troops out of Kabul, officially ending America’s 20-year war with Afghanistan. Since Aug. 14, the U.S. evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of about 124,000 people, around 5,500 of whom were Americans.
Supreme Court Allows Extreme Texas Abortion Ban To Go Into Effect
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed a restrictive Texas law to go into effect that criminalizes abortion at six weeks and deputizes citizens to enforce the ban.
S.B. 8 effectively bans abortion at six weeks, a time at which many people don’t yet realize they’re pregnant. The bill is more extreme than other laws in states like Alabama and Ohio due to a clause that financially incentivizes private citizens to sue anyone “aiding or abetting” abortion-seeking patients in Texas.
If someone successfully sues a person aiding and abetting the medical procedure, they could receive a bounty of $10,000 and have all of their legal fees paid for by the opposing side.
Charlie Pierce: Who Votes for People Who Do This Much Damage?
In the sad recent history of Wisconsin politics, Waukesha County is the heart of it. The state had a proud history of Progressive politics—hell, most of it was invented there—and Waukesha County was the nest of murder hornets that helped bring down upon the state Senator Ron Johnson, Governor Scott Walker, and a state legislative majority that belongs in a zoo. It became the home office of conservative electoral chicanery. What kind of people, you might ask, could vote for people who would do so much damage?
Biden honors troops killed in Afghanistan as remains arrive in U.S.
President Biden met in solemn privacy Sunday with the families of the 13 U.S. troops killed in the suicide attack near the Kabul airport and became the fourth commander in chief to bear witness as the remains of the fallen returned to U.S. soil from Afghanistan.
First lady Jill Biden joined the president at Dover Air Force Base to grieve with loved ones as the “dignified transfer” of remains unfolded, a military ritual for those killed in foreign combat.
Rep. Jim Jordan Suddenly Remembers At Least One Other Call With Trump On Jan. 6: Report
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has suddenly remembered another phone call — or more — that he had with then-President Donald Trump while insurrectionists rampaged through the Capitol on January 6, Politico reported Sunday.
Some observers speculated that the Ohio congressman may be trying to get his story straight if he’s called to testify before the House Select Committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 — including looking into activities by Trump and GOP lawmakers. The committee revealed just days ago that it would seek phone records and other communications as part of its probe.
U.S. forces strike ISIS-K target that posed ‘imminent threat’ to Kabul’s airport
U.S. forces conducted a drone strike against an ISIS-K target in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday, U.S. Central Command said, less than a day after President Joe Biden promised more retaliatory strikes against the affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist group.
A CENTCOM spokesperson, Navy Capt. Bill Urban, said in a statement that the strike targeted a vehicle that posed “an imminent threat” to Hamid Karzai International Airport. Thirteen U.S. military personnel and more than 110 Afghans were killed in a suicide bombing outside the airport last week.
Ida weakens to tropical storm after knocking out power to New Orleans
Hurricane Ida weakened to a tropical storm Monday after crashing into Louisiana and knocking out power to more than 1 million homes and businesses including the city of New Orleans.
Officials earlier warned of “life-threatening” floods. At least one person, a 60-year-old man, died in Ascension Parish after a tree fell on his home.
Electric utilities reported that slightly more than 1 million homes and businesses were without power in Louisiana and another 100,000 in Mississippi. Entergy New Orleans, the main power utility in the city, with nearly 200,000 customers, said the entire city lost electricity early Sunday evening because of “catastrophic damage” to its transmission system. It said power wouldn’t be restored Sunday night.
Eric Boehlert: Committed to doomsday narrative, media downplay evacuation triumph
Six days ago, as she prepared her airlifted exit from Kabul, CNN reporter Clarissa Ward declared that the United States’ effort to evacuate thousands of Afghans was doomed to failure. “I’m sitting here for 12 hours in the airport, 8 hours on the airfield and I haven’t seen a single US plane take off,” she reported. “How on Earth are you going to evacuate 50,000 people in the next two weeks? It just, it can’t happen.”
Ward seemed to speak for most journalists who lined up for days to condemn President Joe Biden and to predict a perilous future for the Afghanistan capitol. (Talk of “mass murders” and U.S. embassy employees being taken hostage were in the media mix.) Wildly eager to portray the U.S. troop withdrawal as a “humiliating” and “disastrous” “fiasco,” the media were sure the story was going to get much worse.
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun Media
The Rude Pundit: A Country on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Part 1: Mask Madness)
The first time I saw the irrationality of large groups of adults happened when I was an adolescent in Lafayette, Louisiana. My mom took me to a parish council meeting (in case you don’t know, parishes are counties but they’re called “parishes” in Louisiana because Catholicism) for a debate over allowing fluoridation of the water in the community. I had asked to go because I’ve always been perverse that way. To my family, it seemed like the easiest call: Of course. We had moved from a town in Florida where the water was fluoridated and we were all fine.
Biden vows revenge for Kabul attack that killed 13 U.S. service members
Thirteen U.S. service members were killed and more than a dozen others injured in an attack outside the airport in the capital of Afghanistan on Thursday, opening a deadly new chapter in the massive U.S. effort to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies ahead of President Biden’s August 31 deadline to withdraw.
The Pentagon said a suicide bomber detonated an explosion that tore through a crowd waiting at an entrance to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where thousands of people have gathered every day since the city fell to the Taliban, desperate to board flights out of the country. Another explosion struck a nearby hotel, the Pentagon said.
Supreme Court blocks Biden administration’s eviction moratorium
The Supreme Court late Thursday blocked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from enforcing the federal moratorium on evicting renters during the coronavirus pandemic, a defeat for the Biden administration’s effort to continue the moratorium even though the court had signaled that the action lacked the proper legal basis.
The current moratorium, which was imposed in early August, had been due to expire in early October. It was challenged by a group of landlords who argued that the CDC had no authority to impose such a restriction on its own.
Officer who shot Ashli Babbitt during Capitol riot breaks silence: ‘I saved countless lives’
In the chaotic minutes before he shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, Lt. Michael Byrd focused his attention on the glass doors leading into the lobby of the House of Representatives chamber.
About 60 to 80 House members and staffers were holed up inside, and it was Byrd’s job to protect them.
As rioters rampaged through the Capitol, Byrd and a few other officers of the U.S. Capitol Police set up a wall of furniture outside the doors.
Kabul Airport Attack Kills 60 Afghans, 13 US Troops
Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said.
The U.S. general overseeing the evacuation said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said there was a large amount of security at the airport, and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in. About 5,000 people were awaiting flights on the airfield, McKenzie said.
Dr. Irwin Redlener: FDA approval of a Covid vaccine could mean a rapid jump in shots in arms
As of last week, in spite of an extremely high level of confidence among policy officials and public health experts that any of the three Covid-19 vaccines with emergency use authorization are safe and effective, about 70 million adults in the U.S. remained unvaccinated, as well as nearly 50 million children under age 12 who aren’t yet eligible for inoculations.
But now, with the Food and Drug Administration’s eagerly anticipated announcement Monday that the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine has been granted full, formal approval for anyone 16 or older, vaccination holdouts have much less of a pretext to refuse to get a shot, and we may now witness rapid progress in upping the country’s vaccination rate. Presumably, many people will be relieved to know that the federal government is fully confident in the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety. And even if this doesn’t change the feelings of those who oppose vaccines, it should pave the way for more institutions to mandate their use.
Jan 6. House Select Committee releases sweeping records request, including call logs of Trump
The Jan. 6 House Select Committee has issued a wide-ranging records request to the National Archives and Records Administration and several other agencies, including phone records from members of congress, as a part of their investigation into the Capitol Riot.
The nine-member panel, which held its first hearing around the Jan. 6 Capitol riot last month, began its investigatory process with the sweeping range of requests released on Wednesday.
Blinken says up to 1,500 Americans may still need evacuation from Afghanistan
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the U.S. has airlifted 4,500 U.S. citizens and their families out of Afghanistan in the last 10 days, and there may be up to 1,500 Americans who still want to leave the country as part of the massive evacuation effort by the Biden administration in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover.
Speaking from the State Department, Blinken painted the clearest picture yet from the Biden administration about the number of Americans in Afghanistan and awaiting evacuation from the country.
U.S. Embassy warns Americans to avoid Kabul airport over “security threats”
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent out an alert on Wednesday evening advising U.S. citizens in Afghanistan to avoid traveling to the capital city’s airport, citing an unspecified security threat amid frantic efforts to evacuate people following the Taliban’s takeover of the country.
“Because of security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so,” the security alert read. “U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately.”
Judge sanctions Sidney Powell and other attorneys who filed lawsuit challenging 2020 election
A federal judge in Michigan has ordered sanctions against former Trump attorney Sidney Powell, attorney Lin Wood, and several other lawyers who brought a legal challenge seeking to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory in the state.
In her ruling Wednesday, Judge Linda Parker described the suit as an “historic and profound abuse of the judicial process.”
Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA): Biden made the hard choice in Afghanistan, and the right one
Before serving in Congress, I was an infantry platoon commander in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province. In the summer of 2012, we patrolled three Taliban-contested villages on the Helmand River. On each patrol I would visit a tribal elder. They would serve me hot, sweet goat-milk tea. I would sip it in the 100-degree heat and smile politely. They would listen to me talk about the American mission and smile politely. Neither side could stomach it.
These Pashtun elders, veterans of the Soviet invasion and the civil war, were in a familiar bind. Taliban to their south, Americans to their north. Taliban conscripting their sons to plant IEDs; Americans demanding to know who planted them. My platoon and I were there for a summer, but the villagers would live with their decisions. One elder conveyed their wariness in an often-used expression: “You have the watches, but they have the time.” The Taliban could not outfight Americans, but it could outlast us, because we had no political endgame.
Read the rest of Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) piece at The Washington Post
House votes to advance Biden’s jobs and infrastructure plans, breaking logjam
House Democrats voted Tuesday to move forward with President Joe Biden’s top legislative priorities after resolving a standoff between their leaders and centrist rebels, who threatened to block the multitrillion-dollar safety net expansion.
The House voted 220 to 212 on a key procedural motion to instruct committees to write the $3.5 trillion bill, which can pass both Congressional chambers without any Republican support. To placate the centrist Democratic holdouts, Speaker Nancy Pelosi committed to a Sept. 27 deadline to vote on the $550 billion Senate-passed infrastructure bill.
2 Congress Members Fly To Kabul Amid Chaotic Evacuation
Two members of Congress flew unannounced into Kabul airport in the middle of the ongoing chaotic evacuation Tuesday, stunning State Department and U.S. military personnel who had to divert resources to provide security and information to the lawmakers, U.S. officials said.
Officials said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., flew in on a charter aircraft and were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours. Officials said the two men were flying out of Kabul on another charter aircraft, prompting officials to complain that they were taking seats that could have gone to other Americans or Afghans fleeing the country.
Joe Biden Says U.S. On Track To Complete Afghanistan Evacuations By Aug. 31
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that U.S. and its allies are on track to complete evacuations from Afghanistan by his Aug. 31 deadline, with thousands of U.S. citizens, Afghans and others being flown out of the country each day.
“I’m determined to ensure that we complete our mission, this mission,” Biden said in public remarks from the White House. “I’m also mindful of the increasing risks.”
The president said the U.S. had helped evacuate 70,700 people since Aug. 14, including about 12,000 in the last 12 hours alone.
Supreme Court denies Biden administration efforts to end ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy
The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied the Biden administration’s request to pause the implementation of a Trump-era immigration policy.
The Justice Department asked the court late last week to delay reinstatement of the policy, known as “Remain in Mexico,” arguing in its brief that the policy had been dormant for more than a year and that abruptly reinstating it “would prejudice the United States’ relations with vital regional partners, severely disrupt its operations at the southern border, and threaten to create a diplomatic and humanitarian crisis.”
House committee plans to seek phone records in probe of January 6, including from members of Congress
The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot is poised to send notices to various telecommunications companies requesting that they preserve the phone records of several people, including members of Congress, multiple sources tell CNN.
Preserving communications records is the first step in an investigatory process that could eventually lead to witness testimony. The notices are set to go out as soon as this week and provide the first window into the kinds of information the committee plans to pursue.
House delays vote to advance Biden’s economic agenda as centrist Democrats derail Pelosi’s plans
The House scrapped a planned Monday vote to advance two key economic proposals as centrist Democrats and party leaders failed to break a stalemate over how to proceed with President Joe Biden’s sprawling economic agenda.
The chamber will reconvene at noon ET on Tuesday as Democrats try to strike a deal to move forward with legislation they see as an economic boon and a lifeline for households. Biden’s domestic policy goals, and his party’s push to retain control of Congress in next year’s midterms, could hinge on whether Democrats find a compromise.
G-7 allies in Europe likely to push Biden to extend Afghanistan evacuations timeline
Two months ago, the leaders of the world’s seven major industrialized democracies met in summer sunshine on England’s southwest coast. It was a happy occasion: the first in-person summit of the Group of Seven nations in two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and the welcomed appearance of President Joe Biden and his “America is back” message on matters ranging from comity to COVID-19 to climate change.
On Tuesday, those same seven leaders will meet again in virtual format confronted by a resurgence in the pandemic, more dire news on climate change and, most immediately and perhaps importantly, Afghanistan. The country’s burgeoning refugee crisis, the collapse of its government and fears of a resurgence in Afghan-based terrorism have left the G-7 allies scrambling and threaten the unity of the bloc.
Vaccine Mandates Start Rolling Out After FDA Gives Pfizer Shot Full Approval
Various institutions began rolling out COVID-19 vaccine mandates on Monday after the Food and Drug Administration gave its first full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech shots, and more are likely to follow suit in the coming days.
While many governments, schools and businesses have put vaccine requirement into place in recent weeks, others said they would hold off until the FDA granted a vaccine its full approval ― a step that goes further than the emergency use authorization that let vaccine distribution kick off in December.
Following the FDA’s approval on Monday, President Joe Biden urged decision-makers to put vaccine requirements into place.
Charlie Pierce: Any Report on Afghanistan That Doesn’t Include These Facts Is Not Worth Your Time
Now that 30,000 people—and counting—have been evacuated from Afghanistan, I would like the elite political media, especially its cable TV news divisions, to tell me what the magic number is that will change the prevailing narrative. 40,000? 100,000? Everybody in that country except the leaders of the Taliban? All of southwest Asia? Let me know so I can stop telling people what a Benghazi-sized dog’s breakfast you all are making out of this story. It would be very helpful.
And now the “story” is that the president’s poll numbers have fallen? Will o’God, they haven’t learned anything since their forebears got lost along the White River in Arkansas years ago. Between the apparently impervious storyline of an Afghan catastrophe and the deliberate monkey-wrenching of the Covid response by Republican governors, Republican state legislatures, and the wilder elements of the Horse Pill marketing complex, it’s a wonder that people aren’t walking past the White House with strings of garlic around their necks. Instead, this president’s approval rating is still higher than the best number the former president* ever racked up.
The F.D.A. grants full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for people 16 and up, making it the first to move beyond emergency use status in the United States.
The decision will set off a cascade of vaccine requirements by hospitals, colleges, corporations and other organizations. United Airlines recently announced that its employees will be required to show proof of vaccination within five weeks of regulatory approval.
Trump booed at Alabama rally after telling supporters to get vaccinated
Former President Donald Trump was booed at a rally Saturday in Alabama after he told supporters they should get vaccinated.
“And you know what? I believe totally in your freedoms. I do. You’ve got to do what you have to do,” Trump said. “But I recommend take the vaccines. I did it. It’s good. Take the vaccines.”
Some boos rang out from the crowd, who were largely maskless.
Jesse Jackson and wife, Jacqueline, ‘responding positively’ to Covid-19 treatment
The Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, are “responding positively” to medical treatment after having been hospitalized with Covid-19, their family said Sunday.
Doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago were “carefully monitoring” their conditions because of their ages, said their son Jonathan Jackson. Jesse Jackson is 79, and Jacqueline Jackson is 77.
“Both are resting comfortably and are responding positively to their treatment,” he said in a statement.
The F.D.A. is aiming to give full approval to Pfizer’s Covid vaccine today
The Food and Drug Administration is pushing to approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s two-dose Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, further expediting an earlier timeline for licensing the shot, according to people familiar with the agency’s planning.
Regulators were working to finish the process by Friday but were still working through a substantial amount of paperwork and negotiation with the company. The people familiar with the planning, who were not authorized to speak publicly about it, cautioned that the approval might slide beyond Monday if some components of the review need more time.
Biden Touts Evacuations From Afghanistan But Warns ‘A Lot Could Still Go Wrong’
President Joe Biden touted on Sunday the surging number of Afghanistan evacuations carried out so far by the United States, but acknowledged that such a massive operation does not come “without pain and loss.”
The White House said that the U.S has evacuated 30,300 people out of Afghanistan since Aug. 14, including more than 13,000 people over the weekend. That brings the total evacuated by the U.S. to about 35,500 since July, though the president stressed in a televised address that “we have a long way to go, and a lot could still go wrong.”
Eric Boehlert: The media’s summer of discontent — waging war on Biden
Feigning shock that the final chapter to a 20-year lost war in Afghanistan did not go as planned for the U.S. military, the media remain in overdrive, breathlessly presenting the U.S. troop withdrawal as a presidency-defining failure for Joe Biden.
Thankfully, the dire picture that the press painted over the weekend of the widespread death and destruction that the Taliban would soon unleash on Kabul has not materialized. Instead, the controversial U.S. evacuation has become more orderly and efficient, which is why cable news has pulled back on the story — CNN mentioned “Afghanistan” 30 percent fewer times on Wednesday as compared to Monday, according to TVeyes.com.
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun
The Rude Pundit: Note to Anti-Maskers… You’re Not Revolutionaries. You’re Just A**holes.
At one point in the chaotic Louisiana Board of Secondary and Elementary Education meeting in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, a local Christian extremist pastor, Tony Spell, announced as the elected officials tried to start things, “Let’s welcome the board to our meeting today.” He was standing on a chair, surrounded by a couple of hundred people there to protest the school mask mandate issued by Governor John Bel Edwards. Despite the requirement, almost none of the gathered flesh lumps wore masks in the tight space.
Spell, his hair greased back, declared, “King Edwards is the biggest lawbreaker in the state history,” an objectively false statement since, you know, the fucking state was pretty much founded by pirates. Hell, even if Edwards were breaking the law, he wouldn’t be the biggest lawbreaker who was governor. The ghosts of Huey Long and Edwin Edwards (no relation to John Bel) must have been thinking, “What the fuck? Forget about us already?”
Man claiming to have bomb near U.S. Capitol is in custody after standoff, police say
Congressional office buildings and nearby homes were evacuated as authorities negotiated with the man, identified by law enforcement as Floyd Ray Roseberry, 49, of North Carolina. Roseberry surrendered to authorities after about five hours and will face criminal charges, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said. No bomb was found in his car, although officials said they did discover materials that could be used to make explosives.
Biden believes U.S. can evacuate all Americans by end of August, national security adviser says
President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the president believes U.S. forces will be able to get all Americans who want to leave Afghanistan out of the country by Mr. Biden’s self-imposed deadline of August 31. However, Sullivan said the U.S. does not know exactly how many Americans are in the country.
“The president is committed to ensuring that every American who wants to leave Afghanistan gets out of Afghanistan. He believes that we can accomplish that by August 31,” Sullivan told “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell on Thursday.
3 Senators Test Positive For COVID-19 On Same Day
Three U.S. senators announced Thursday that they tested positive for COVID-19.
Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Angus King (I-Maine) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) released statements about their diagnoses within hours of each other, all saying they had mild symptoms.
All are fully vaccinated. Their positive tests highlight the vaccinations’ purpose, to prevent serious illness and death. Although the shots are highly effective, none offers complete protection from ever getting COVID-19.
Fox News Employees Ordered To Disclose Vaccine Status Amid COVID Concerns
All Fox News employees were instructed this week to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status to the company, a requirement that flies in the face of public remarks previously made by the network’s conservative hosts ― including Tucker Carlson, who has argued that asking about someone’s vaccination status is as invasive as asking about their favorite sex positions.
In a memo to staff, Fox News Media told all of its employees to record their vaccination status on an employee management website by close of business Tuesday. All workers must participate, the memo says, whether they work on-site or remotely.
Biden says his administration will take on GOP governors blocking masks in schools
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he was directing the Education Department to use its legal authority against Republican governors who are trying to block local school officials from requiring students to wear masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Speaking at the White House, Biden said some politicians are trying to turn public safety measures into “political disputes for their own political gain” and warned that they are “setting a dangerous tone.”
Biden said he had directed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to wield his oversight authority and take legal action “if appropriate.”
U.S. working with Taliban to evacuate Americans and allies out of Afghanistan, Pentagon says
Top Pentagon officials said Wednesday that the U.S. military does not “have the capability” to retrieve all Americans who have been unable to reach the U.S.-secured airfield in Kabul as the State Department continues to negotiate safe passage with the Taliban.
The White House said that on Wednesday the military evacuated approximately 1,800 people, bringing the total since Aug. 14 to 6,000.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. intends to increase that flow using various U.S. military aircraft.
Biden to tie vaccines for nursing home staff to Medicare and Medicaid funding
President Biden announced Wednesday he is ordering the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to require nursing homes to have vaccinated staff for them to be able to participate in Medicare and Medicaid and receive funding from the federal programs.
The vaccination requirement will be the first time the federal government has implemented any type of vaccination requirement besides those for federal government employees.
Biden Says There Was No Way To Leave Afghanistan ‘Without Chaos Ensuing’
In his first sit-down interview since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he doesn’t believe there was any way to pull U.S. troops out of the country “without chaos ensuing.”
Biden defended the way the U.S. exited Afghanistan as he sat down for an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, who pressed the president on whether there were mistakes in the withdrawal process.
“No, I don’t think it could have been handled in a way that ― we’re going to go back in hindsight and look ― but the idea that somehow there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” said Biden, who inherited a deal former President Donald Trump made with the country’s militant Taliban group to remove U.S. troops that have been stationed in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years.
3 Top Senate Democrats Pledge To Probe ‘Flawed’ Afghanistan Withdrawal
Democrats in charge of three Senate committees are vowing to hold hearings on the bungled U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, a reflection of how little political cover the Biden administration is getting from its allies on Capitol Hill as chaos engulfs the Middle Eastern country.
Sen. Bob Mendendez (D-N.J.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cast some blame on former President Donald Trump and his deal with the Taliban, which predated President Joe Biden. But he also called out the Biden administration for its “flawed” execution of a plan that didn’t adequately foresee the rapid and stunning collapse of the Afghan government.
As COVID-19 Cases Soar, More Hospitals Report ICUs Nearing Capacity, With Worst To Come
Hospitals across the nation are buckling under the surge in COVID-19 infections linked to the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus, with some states reporting their intensive care units are rapidly filling with patients, much like winter’s wave of cases before vaccines were readily accessible.
More than a quarter of the nation’s ICU beds in use are currently occupied by COVID-19 patients, according to figures maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services. But an increasing number of states have said their intensive care wards are reaching capacity, with 1 in 5 ICUs at or over 95% full nationwide, The New York Times reported.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced on Tuesday. Abbott is fully vaccinated and so far is experiencing no symptoms.
“The Governor has been testing daily, and today was the first positive test result,” Abbott’s communications director Mark Miner said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “Governor Abbott is in constant communication with his staff, agency heads, and government officials to ensure that state government continues to operate smoothly and efficiently. The Governor will isolate in the Governor’s Mansion and continue to test daily.”
Up to 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan after Taliban takeover
As many as 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover of the country, Biden administration officials told Senate staffers Tuesday, two aides said.
Two Senate aides confirmed that they were given that figure in a briefing led by national security and defense officials.
The Washington Post first reported that the staffers were told that 10,000 to 15,000 U.S. citizens remain in the country.
U.S. officials are racing to get Americans and others out of the country.
Tropical Storm Grace drenching Haiti as quake death toll tops 1,400
Grace regained tropical storm strength early Tuesday and was dumping extremely heavy rains and causing flooding across parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Those two nations share the island of Hispaniola.
Grace lashed earthquake-damaged Haiti as a tropical depression on Monday with up to 10 inches of rain. It pelted people huddling in fields and searching for survivors.
The storm couldn’t have come at a worse time for Haitians struggling to deal with the effects of Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude temblor.
Taliban announce ‘amnesty,’ urge women to join government
A Taliban official on Tuesday announced a general “amnesty” for all in Afghanistan and urged women to join the government following the movement’s lightning takeover of the country.
Enamullah Samangani, member of Islamic Emirate’s cultural commission, made the comments on Afghan state television, which the militants now control.
“The Islamic Emirate don’t want women to be victims,” he said, using the militants’ term for Afghanistan.
U.S. To Recommend COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters At 8 Months, Sources Say
U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country.
That’s according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
An announcement was expected as soon as this week, with doses beginning to be administered widely once the Food and Drug Administration formally approves vaccines. That action is expected for the Pfizer shot in the coming weeks.
Joe Biden Defends Afghanistan Withdrawal: ‘There Was Never A Good Time’
President Joe Biden said Monday that the stunning collapse of the 20-year American project in Afghanistan proved he was correct to end the U.S. mission, arguing that the Taliban’s takeover of the country vindicated his decision to bring home the U.S. troops stationed there.
“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said. “After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces.”
The president conceded that the success of the militants “did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated,” over a two-week blitz of Taliban offensives. That will not sway his plans, however: After the 6,000 troops Biden recently deployed to Afghanistan evacuate Americans and U.S. allies in the coming days, “we will conclude our military withdrawal and we will end America’s longest war,” he said.
Charlie Pierce: What the Hell Were We Doing There?
John F. Kennedy was very fond of the old saw that victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan. What we watched unfold in Afghanistan over the weekend, as the Afghan army dissolved, the Afghan government collapsed, and the president of Afghanistan ran for the hills, turned that mossbacked shibboleth on its head. For 20 years, we propped up an army that was an illusion and a government that was a mirage. For 20 years, as the Washington Post illustrated in a criminally unremarked-upon series of brilliant reports in 2019, our government lied to us and it lied to itself. This defeat had a thousand fathers, of both political parties, in uniform and out. They were in the business of war, the business of politics, and the business of informing the citizens of this country about both. All of them failed at their jobs, miserably, and the awful images from Kabul this weekend were precise measures of their failures—and, regrettably, ours.
Secretary Blinken Defends Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal Amid Criticism
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday defended the Biden administration’s decision to pull out American troops from Afghanistan even as the Taliban government overtakes the country, saying that the U.S. completed its initial goal and is keeping a promise to avoid further war.
“Like it or not, there was an agreement that the forces would come out on May 1st. Had they not, had we not begun that process, which is what the president did and the Taliban saw, then we would have been back at war with the Taliban,” Blinken said in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union.”
COVID-19 Hospitalizations For Americans In Their 30s Hit All-Time High
COVID-19 hospitalizations for people in their 30s have reached a record high in the U.S. in the latest evidence that the dangerous delta variant of the disease poses formidable risks for younger age groups.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a total of 170,852 hospital admissions of those age 30 to 39 from the beginning of August 2020 to last Wednesday. The number of daily admissions, based on a seven-day average, jumped from 908 the week beginning July 29 to 1,113 the week starting Aug. 5. That’s a 22.6% bounce — and still climbing.
Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocks mask mandates in two counties
The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday temporarily halted lower court rulings that allowed local government entities and school districts to implement mask mandates in defiance of an order from Governor Greg Abbott. A hearing on the earlier temporary injunction is scheduled for Monday.
Sunday’s ruling affects Dallas and Bexar Counties, which had both reinstated some form of mask mandate in recent days. In Dallas County, a judge ruled last week that masks would be required inside schools and businesses. In Bexar County, where San Antonio is located, a lower court ruled on Friday that local leaders had the authority to mandate masks in schools.
Taliban seize power in Kabul amid chaos in Afghanistan
One of the most stunning guerrilla campaigns in history reached Afghanistan’s capital on Sunday, forcing the country’s president to flee as countries rushed troops to the airport to evacuate their citizens.
All U.S. Embassy staff in Kabul, including the mission’s top diplomat, were being evacuated to the international airport as the Taliban looming at the capital city’s gates urged the Afghan government to relinquish power on Sunday. Afghan officials confirmed that President Ashraf Ghani departed the country.
Eric Boehlert: Traitorous GOP now the fifth column in America’s war on Covid
America is swimming in purposeful pandemic distortions:
•The Covid-19 vaccine doesn’t work.
•It’s dangerous and the government is lying about the pandemic.
• Public schools should be defunded if they offer virtual teaching.
• The CDC is run by “tyrants” and health experts are “exaggerating” the pandemic.
• Superintendents could have their pay withheld if they try to initiate a protective mask policies.
• Low vaccination rates are encouraged and cheered.
These aren’t the disturbed ravings of fringe Facebook groups, or Fox News trolls in search of outrage clicks. It’s the rhetoric coming from prominent members of the Republican Party, which has shown itself to be the eager fifth column in the U.S.’s battle against the pandemic — plotting against America from the inside.
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun…
The Rude Pundit: Now Abbott, DeSantis, and Other COVID Accomplice Governors Need to Resign
At some point, if vaccination rates climb in Texas and Florida and other states where the Delta variant of COVID-19 has been allowed to freely lung-fuck the residents, I’d almost expect the governors of those states who refused to do jackshit to mitigate the virus to say, “See? It took a few thousand more deaths, but now people are making the personal choice to get vaccinated. Government didn’t force them to. Reverse psychology in action.”
Of course, they aren’t that crafty. What we have are ideological pig fuckers who are getting high on the power they have over the lives and deaths of the people in their states. They see defiance of rational actions to slow the spread of the virus as some kind of mighty stand for freedom and rights and the economy when, really, they’re just accomplices to the murder and maiming that Covid is doing.
Glenn Kirschner: DOJ officials thwarted Trump’s coup. Next step, A criminal investigation
Recent blockbuster reporting revealed that former President Donald Trump was aggressively pushing Justice Department officials to help him overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
To those of us who previously worked at the Justice Department, this is … unfathomable.
The good news is that these revelations have inspired swift governmental action in at least some quarters. For example, the Justice Department inspector general’s office promptly announced an investigation of Trump’s pressure campaign. The Senate Judiciary Committee hastily assembled a hearing and spent seven hours — on a Saturday in August — interviewing Trump-era acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen about what he knew and when he knew it.
Matt Gaetz’s Wingman Has Reportedly Given ‘Thousands Of Photos And Videos’ To Feds
In yet another unpromising turn for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), ABC News reported Thursday that his former wingman Joel Greenberg has been providing extensive information to federal authorities as he cooperates with the sprawling investigation of the Florida lawmaker.
Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector, has handed over “years of Venmo and Cash App transactions and thousands of photos and videos,” as well as access to personal social media accounts, ABC reported, citing multiple anonymous sources.
Supreme Court rejects challenge to Indiana University’s vaccination requirement
The Supreme Court refused Thursday to block Indiana University’s requirement that students be vaccinated against Covid-19 to attend classes in the fall semester.
It was the first legal test of a Covid vaccination mandate to come before the justices. A challenge to the policy was directed to Amy Coney Barrett, the justice in charge of that region of the country, who denied it. There were no noted dissents from other justices.
U.S. to evacuate most staff from embassy in Kabul as Taliban sweep across Afghanistan
President Joe Biden is deploying about 3,000 troops to Afghanistan to help secure the withdrawal of most staff from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul amid growing alarm over a Taliban military offensive, officials said Thursday.
One Army and two Marine battalions will head to the Hamid Karzai airport in Kabul “within the next 24 to 48 hours,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said.
Additional troops will be deployed to Kuwait in case more forces are needed, officials said.
FDA overnight OKs third vaccine dose for immunocompromised people
The Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations for the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines Thursday to allow some people with compromised immune systems to get a third dose.
The change in FDA regulation is specific to patients who have been unable to mount an adequate immune response against the virus, even after being fully vaccinated. The hope, experts say, is that the additional dose will provide these patients with levels of protection seen in people without weakened immune systems.
Florida Requests Hundreds Of Ventilators Amid COVID-19 Surge
The federal government has sent hundreds of ventilators and other oxygen devices to the state of Florida following a request from local health officials as coronavirus cases and related hospitalizations continue to rise across the state.
The Strategic National Stockpile sent 200 ventilators, 100 high-flow nasal cannula kits and related medical supplies to the state earlier this week, a Health and Human Services spokesperson confirmed to HuffPost on Wednesday.
School Districts In Texas And Florida Are Defying Their Governors’ Anti-Mask Orders
Republican governors in Texas and Florida have imposed bans on mask mandates despite a spike in COVID-19 infections among children, but that’s not stopping an increasing number of school districts from defying them.
In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order banning any sort of mask mandate, including in schools. In July, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did the same and threatened to withhold funds for schools that require masks for students.
The orders come while the states are epicenters of the new, highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus, which has led to cases and hospitalizations rising to record-breaking levels.
Rand Paul discloses, 16 months later, wife’s purchase of stock in company behind Remdesivir
Sixteen months late, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday filed a disclosure with the Senate revealing that on Feb. 26, 2020, his wife, Kelley, purchased stock in Gilead Sciences, a company that produces an antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19.
Under the STOCK Act, which prohibits members of Congress from using information not available to the public for private profit, the disclosure should have been filed within 45 days of the purchase, The Washington Postreports.
California requires vaccines, tests for teachers and staff
California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns about the highly contagious delta variant, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday.
The new policy applies to both public and private schools and will affect more than 800,000 employees, including about 320,000 public school teachers and a host of support staff such as cafeteria workers and cleaners, the state Department of Public Health said. It will also apply to school volunteers.
Dr. Irwin Redlener: Enough already — it’s time to follow New York’s lead on vaccine mandates
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio stepped out on the national stage last week and declared that as of Aug. 16, the city will require proof of at least one dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine for anyone who wants to eat inside any of the city’s more than 24,000 restaurants, workout in a gym, or attend a public performance.
Enough already with tiptoeing around the issue of mandates! Vaccines are the most effective tool we have to stop the spread of the deadliest pandemic in more than 100 years, a scourge which has already killed more than 613,000 Americans and at least 4 million people worldwide. Last week alone, the U.S. recorded an average of nearly 94,000 new cases per day, 48 percent higher than the preceding week.
Texas House Speaker Signs Arrest Warrants For Democrats Who Fled State Over Voting Bill
Texas’s Republican House speaker, Rep. Dan Phelan, signed arrest warrants Tuesday night for 52 House Democrats who fled the state last month in protest of GOP plans for restrictive new voting rights legislation.
The Dallas Morning News first reported that the warrants had been issued, adding that they will be delivered to the Texas House sergeant-at-arms on Wednesday morning. The newspaper added that at least two dozen lawmakers are still in Washington, D.C., and others are outside the jurisdiction of local officials.
Biden praises Senate passage of bipartisan infrastructure bill
President Joe Biden on Tuesday marked the Senate’s passage of a bipartisan infrastructure plan earlier in the day with a White House speech touting the political win and thanking Republican senators who voted with Democrats for what he said was their “courage” to come together to strike a deal for the American people.
“After years and years of infrastructure week, we’re on the cusp of an infrastructure decade that I truly believe will transform America,” Biden said in triumphant remarks delivered from the White House East Room.
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns after sexual harassment allegations, investigation
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that he will resign from office following accusations of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct from a number of women, including former staffers and one current staffer.
His resignation will be effective in 14 days, Cuomo said.
After a five-month investigation, New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced in a 168-page report last week that “the governor engaged in conduct constituting sexual harassment under federal and New York State law.”
Senate passes Dems’ $3.5T budget resolution in latest win for Biden
Democrats pushed their expansive $3.5 trillion framework for bolstering family services, health, and environment programs toward Senate passage early Wednesday, as Republicans unleashed an avalanche of amendments aimed at making their rivals pay a price in next year’s elections.
Congressional approval of the budget resolution, which seems assured, would mark a crucial first step by Democrats toward enacting the heart of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. It would open the door to a follow-up measure aiming the government’s fiscal might at assisting families, creating jobs and fighting climate change, with higher taxes on the wealthy and big companies footing much of the bill.
Senate Judiciary interviewing former DOJ officials about Trump post-election efforts
The Senate Judiciary Committee has interviewed former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue in its investigation into whether former President Donald Trump tried to enlist the Justice Department in his effort to overturn the 2020 election results.
A spokesperson for the committee confirmed that it held a closed-door interview with Donoghue on Friday and a seven-hour interview with Rosen on Saturday.
Senate Dems unveil $3.5T budget for social, climate efforts
Senate Democrats unwrapped a budget resolution envisioning a massive $3.5 trillion, 10-year cascade of federal resources, aiming historic sums at family support, health and education programs and an aggressive drive to heal the climate.
The measure is a pivotal first step in what will likely be a tumultuous, months-long Democratic legislative march toward a progressive reshaping of the federal government that also hews to President Joe Biden’s top domestic policy ambitions.
Florida Still Sees Record COVID-19 Surge As School Year Begins, But DeSantis Digs In
Florida continues to be the COVID-19 epicenter of the highly transmissible delta variant, with record new cases and rising hospitalizations as some schools start their new year ― but the deadly dilemma does not seem to faze the state’s Republican governor.
Florida recorded an alarming 157,388 new cases between Aug. 2 and Aug. 8, bringing the state’s total cases to nearly 2.8 million, according to data reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In that same time period, the state saw 791 new deaths, bringing that total to 39,934.
COVID-19 hospitalizations also increased at record-breaking levels for six consecutive days last week, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Pentagon Issues COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate For All U.S. Military Members
Members of the U.S. military will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine beginning next month under a plan laid out by the Pentagon and endorsed by President Joe Biden. In memos distributed to all troops, top Pentagon leaders said the vaccine is a necessary step to maintain military readiness.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the mid-September deadline could be accelerated if the vaccine receives final FDA approval or infection rates continue to rise.
“I will seek the president’s approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon” licensure by the Food and Drug Administration “whichever comes first,” Austin said in his memo sent Monday, warning them to prepare for the requirement.
Senate advances bipartisan infrastructure bill in key test vote
With multiple Republicans joining Democrats in the effort, the bipartisan infrastructure bill cleared another hurdle on its way to passing the Senate on Saturday afternoon.
By a vote of 67-27, the Senate voted to advance the bill toward final passage. It’s not yet clear when the bill will receive a final vote, but Saturday’s vote makes all but certain that it will pass the Senate.
At least 60 votes were necessary to move forward on Saturday, a hurdle easily cleared with 18 Republicans joining all Democrats.
Homeland Security warns of ‘increasing but modest’ threat of violence from Trump conspiracy
The Department of Homeland Security said Friday they have observed “an increasing but modest level of activity online” by people who are calling for violence in response to baseless claims of 2020 election fraud and related to the conspiracy theory that former President Donald Trump will be reinstated.
“Some conspiracy theories associated with reinstating former President Trump have included calls for violence if desired outcomes are not realized,” according to a DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis bulletin obtained by ABC News.
There is no evidence that shows there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Vaccine mandates would make a difference: NIH director
National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said Sunday he believes vaccine requirements could make a difference in slowing the rapid spread of COVID-19 and acknowledged how politics has polarized public opinion on pandemic mitigation strategies.
“Why is it that a mandate about a vaccine or wearing a mask suddenly becomes a statement of your political party? We never should have let that happen.” Collins told ABC “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos.
“Come on, America — we’re incredibly polarized about politics, we don’t really need to be polarized about a virus that’s killing people,” Collins continued. “We ought to be doing everything we can to save lives.”
Top aide to embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns
A top aide to embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned Sunday, saying in a statement that the last two years have been “emotionally and mentally trying.”
Melissa DeRosa resigned as secretary to the governor as Cuomo faces calls to step down after New York’s attorney general released a report less than a week ago alleging that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women and violated state and federal laws.
Cuomo, who has resisted calls to resign from top Democratic lawmakers and President Joe Biden, has denied the allegations.
Eric Boehlert: New York Times demands Cuomo resign — in four years they never called for Trump to step down
Rushing in to inform readers that in the wake of damning investigation into his history of sexual harassment, New York’s Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo is no longer suited for office, the New York Times editorial page waited barely 24 hours to reach its sweeping conclusion — “Governor Cuomo, You Should Resign.”
“Regardless of what may happen in a court of law, the governor has only one conscionable option left: He should resign,” the Times announced. “If Mr. Cuomo cares for the well-being of the state and its citizens as much as he has said he does over the years, he needs to do the right thing and step down.”
The Times was unequivocal. What made the clarion call so jarring was it came from the same editorial page that refused for four years to demand Trump resign from office — to conclude, as they did regarding Cuomo, that stepping down remained Trump’s “only conscionable option left,” and urging him to do the “right thing.”
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun
The Rude Pundit: Maybe We’re Just Sick of Ignorance and This Time We Can Do Something About It
The easiest way to describe the genuine anger at the anti-vax idiots is that we’re fucking sick of their shit. We’re tired of having the direction of our lives decided by the most credulous and easily manipulated motherfuckers in the population. We’ve reached the end of our proverbial ropes and, goddamnit, we’re done buying longer ropes.
You saw that today when New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who successfully guided his state through the worst shit in the first part of the pandemic, was fucking done with the anti-vax protesters at a news conference he was having. “Because of what you are saying and standing for people are losing their life… and you have to know that,” he told the hooting morons, calling them “knuckleheads,” a favorite term of his.
Tickets On Sale NOW!!
Get your tickets for the Sexy Liberal Survivors’ Tour in Madison WI on October 23rd NOW by going to SexyLiberal.com or BarrymoreLive.com!
All FOUR Sexy Liberals will be there! Stephanie Miller, John Fugelsang, Hal Sparks, and Frangela!! And if you can’t make it to Madison, a LIVE pay per view of the event will be available through our friends at Meathook!
Senators struggle to amend, finish $1T infrastructure bill
Nearing decision time, senators were struggling to wrap up work on the bipartisan infrastructure plan despite hopes to expedite consideration and voting on the nearly $1 trillion proposal.
The package had appeared on track for eventual Senate passage, a rare accord between Republicans and Democrats joining on a shared priority that also is essential to President Joe Biden’s agenda. But senators hit new problems late Thursday as they worked late into the night on amendments. A procedural vote was set for Saturday.
“We’ve worked long, hard and collaboratively, to finish this important bipartisan bill,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., just before midnight. In announcing Saturday’s schedule, he said “We very much want to finish.”
Education secretary warns DeSantis, Abbott on masks: ‘Don’t be the reason why schools are interrupted’why schools are interrupted’
With only weeks before schools reopen in much of the country, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said Thursday at the White House that while the Delta variant of the coronavirus is “providing new challenges,” he still anticipates a return to in-class instruction.
“We expect our students to be in the classroom every day,” Cardona said from the White House Briefing Room, as he and other administration officials embark on a campaign to convince the American public that schools are safe. To do that, he will have to keep powerful teachers’ unions in line while persuading Republican governors like Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas to allow school districts to impose mask mandates. Both governors have strenuously resisted such measures, even as their states are pummeled by the Delta variant.
FDA Working On Booster Vaccine Strategy, Could Release Next Month
The Food and Drug Administration could unveil a nationwide strategy on COVID-19 booster vaccines as early as next month amid the ongoing surge in new infections linked to the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus, according to reports.
The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the agency’s discussions, first reported that the administration of President Joe Biden is working quickly to develop policies around booster shots amid concern about the ongoing length of the pandemic and if those who are vaccinated will remain protected, particularly Americans that are more susceptible to severe infection.
Justice official accused Trump of using DOJ to push election fraud claims in draft resignation letter
House investigators have interviewed a former Justice Department official who drafted – but never sent – a resignation letter over what he said were former President Donald Trump’s “direct instructions” to use the department to support his false election fraud claims.
Patrick Hovakimian, chief of staff to then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, wrote the resignation letter January 3 in anticipation that Rosen would be fired at an extraordinary meeting that day with the former President at the White House, according to people briefed on the matter.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
DeSantis turns his ire on Biden instead of Covid-19 as it rages in Florida
Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has a message for President Joe Biden: He’s not getting out of the way even as his rejection of masking and public health guidance risks fueling his state’s raging Covid-19 cases.
DeSantis relished the chance to climb on a national stage to battle Biden on Wednesday, after the President accused him and Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott – who preside over the two states with most new infections over the past week – ofworsening a pandemic that once seemed to have abated.
The confrontation was the latest sign of how DeSantis – who is expected to be a top contender in the next Republican presidential primary if former President Donald Trump doesn’t run – is weaponizing his stewardship of the emergency to further his own political aspirations, previewing a possible 2024 White House matchup if Biden seeks reelection.
Majority of New York state Assembly support beginning process to impeach Cuomo
Over 80 New York state Assembly lawmakers said they would support starting the process of impeaching Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) if he decides not to resign, one day after an independent inquiry found that the governor had sexually harassed at least 11 women.
Of the legislative body’s 150 members, at least 86 lawmakers told The Associated Press or have publicly stated that they would support beginning the process to impeach Cuomo if he does not step down, the wire service reported.
Dr. Irwin Redlener: How Trump’s ‘World of Bullsh**’ Unleashed Today’s Delta Surge
The latest data is showing us something very important: that with the new Delta variant, the viral load, the amount of virus carried by an infected person, is the same whether or not that person has been vaccinated. This is a different situation than we understood before, with previous variants and the original virus, because all three of the vaccinations available here—Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J—were able to suppress the amount of virus. Not eliminate it, necessarily, but certainly we were seeing big differences in the virus load being carried by vaccinated versus unvaccinated. That no longer seems to be the case. Even though the vaccines will, by and large, prevent very serious illness or death in a person who gets infected with the Delta variant, it turns out that the vaccines do not suppress the amount of virus in a person’s body.
Read the rest of the interview with Dr. Irwin Redlener at The Daily Beast
After Biden proposes, CDC issues new 60-day eviction moratorium
Under heavy pressure from progressive Democrats to extend the eviction moratorium as millions of Americans faced being forced out of their homes, President Joe Biden on Tuesday said his administration would announce a new “safety valve” action.
Shortly afterward, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order barring evictions for 60 days in counties with “substantial and high levels” of community transmission.
Fauci hopes Pfizer vaccine will get full FDA approval in weeks
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he hopes Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine receives full approval from the Food and Drug Administration within the next couple of weeks.
Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, appeared on CNN Tuesday evening to react to the news the FDA was speeding up its timetable for giving final approval to the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, aiming to complete the process by the end of the month.
10 of the biggest findings from the Cuomo sexual harassment probe
The report issued Tuesday by the New York attorney general’s office graphically detailed numerous accusations of sexual harassment by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The governor forcefully denied the allegations and ignored renewed calls for his resignation after the report was released.
To read the rest of the story and see the list, go to NBC News
Biden Calls Out Texas, Florida GOP Govs Over COVID-19: ‘Get Out Of The Way’
President Joe Biden on Tuesday criticized the Republican governors of Florida and Texas for hindering public health measures to control a surging strain of the coronavirus, asking them “to get out of the way” if they are not willing to help.
“What are we doing? COVID-19 is a national challenge,” he said in prepared remarks on the delta variant of the virus that he delivered from the East Room of the White House. “If some governors aren’t willing to do the right thing to beat this pandemic, then they should allow businesses and universities who want to do the right thing to be able to do it. I say to these governors: ‘Please help. But if you are not going to help, at least get out of the way of the people who are trying to do the right thing.’”
Biden Administration Seeks to Blunt Effects From End of Eviction Moratorium
With the federal moratorium on evictions having expired over the weekend, the White House on Monday sought to limit the impact, demanding that states speed up disbursement of billions of dollars in bottled-up rental aid while pleading with local governments to enact their own extensions.
President Biden — under fire from the left of his party for not extending the freeze and eager to prove he was taking action to prevent evictions — directed federal agencies to consider targeted extensions for tenants in federally subsidized housing, asked state judges to slow-walk eviction proceedings and called for a review of problems that have slowed the flow of aid.
Delta variant drives nationwide COVID surge, prompting new mandates
Healthcare workers in Missouri are bearing the brunt as hospitalizations among people with COVID-19 have nearly doubled in a month.
The hardest hit area includes Springfield, where there’s been a dramatic rise of COVID-19 patients in one hospital system since mask mandates were lifted before two big holiday weekends. CoxHealth brought in a new morgue and doubled its oxygen reserves to prepare for the anticipated rise in cases and deaths. On Monday, it had 187 coronavirus patients — its highest ever.
Fourth police officer who responded to Capitol insurrection dies of suicide
A Washington, DC police officer who responded to the deadly riot at the US Capitol on Jan. 6 took his own life last month, making him the fourth law enforcement officer who took part in the events of that day to die by his own hand.
Officer Kyle DeFreytag helped enforce the curfew put in place after hundreds of supporters of then-President Donald Trump breached the Capitol building in an effort to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results, The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) told WUSA.
Sen. Lindsey Graham Says He’s Tested Positive For COVID-19
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is showing symptoms of the disease, while expressing gratitude that he has been vaccinated.
“I feel like I have a sinus infection and at present time I have mild symptoms,” he tweeted. “I am very glad I was vaccinated because without vaccination I am certain I would not feel as well as I do now. My symptoms would be far worse.”
David Gosar: Our brother Paul Gosar backed Trump’s lie and betrayed America. Has he no shame?
In 1954, the Boston lawyer Joseph Welch famously asked Wisconsin Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy, “At long last, sir, have you left no sense of decency?” It was a question that marked the beginning of the end for McCarthy’s madness, and the senator died a disgraced and despised opportunist.
We are not surprised to see him heading down a very similar path to McCarthy’s. So, have you no sense of decency, Paul?
We now ask our brother, Rep. Paul Gosar, that same question. Although his colleagues in Congress and others in the media seem to only recently be paying attention, we have been aware of his unhinged behavior for years. We are therefore not surprised to see him heading down a very similar path to McCarthy’s.
Charlie Pierce: This Pandemic Has Turned Our Historical Reaction to Epidemic Disease on Its Head
On the electric Twitter machine, the kidz have this “Shot…Chaser” meme thing that seems to be wildly popular. Last week, and you may have seen the video on the Intertoobz, a meeting of the county council of St. Louis County was set to discuss a new mask mandate for indoor public places and all public transportation. (As is the case generally in Missouri, Covid cases are spiking toward February levels again.) An obstreperous mob of ginned-up chronic cases made something of a shambles of the meeting, and it got even worse outside the meeting room.
Rudy Giuliani Is Reportedly Almost Broke And Trump’s Shutting Him Out
Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani is almost broke and Trump doesn’t seem to care all that much, sources have told The New York Times.
Giuliani is currently struggling under a mountain of legal fees as he attempts to fend off a major federal investigation and answer a $1.3 billion lawsuit. Trump, meanwhile, isn’t pitching in a dime of the millions he has raised in his ongoing battle against a legitimate election, according to New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman.
Giuliani’s supporters are “aghast” that Trump isn’t helping out, according to Haberman, given that many of his activities were carried out on Trump’s behalf to push the former president’s “Big Lie” of a rigged election.
Evictions Expected To Spike As Federal Moratorium Ends
Evictions, which have mostly been on pause during the pandemic, are expected to ramp up on Monday after the expiration of a federal moratorium as housing courts take up more cases and tenants are locked out of their homes.
Housing advocates fear the end of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium could result in millions of people being evicted in the coming weeks. But most expect an uptick in filings in the coming days rather than a wave of evictions.
Anthony Fauci Warns ‘Things Are Going To Get Worse,’ Shares COVID-19 Projections
With coronavirus cases continually rising and millions of Americans remaining unvaccinated, Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday said he expects “things are going to get worse” in the U.S., while stopping short of predicting future lockdowns.
“We’re looking not, I believe, to lockdown but we’re looking to some pain and suffering in the future because we’re seeing the cases go up, which is the reason why we keep saying over and over again: The solution to this is get vaccinated and this would not be happening,” he said in an interview with ABC News’ “This Week.”
Fauci, who serves as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, pointed to cases consistently rising since late June for his dread.
Senate introduces text of bipartisan infrastructure package
Senators introduced the long-awaited text of their bipartisan infrastructure bill Sunday, aiming to pass the massive measure this week.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would push forward with amendments to the legislation, which senators were finalizing through the weekend.
“Given how bipartisan the bill is, and how much work has already been put in to get the details right, I believe the Senate can quickly process relevant amendments and pass this bill in a matter of days,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
Eric Boehlert: Chuck Todd and the myth of Liberal Media Bias
Surveying the media landscape and seeing a Beltway press corps that’s constantly on the run from Republican attacks, Meet The Press moderator Chuck Todd this week urged his colleagues to stand up to the right-wing bullies, who have spent decades demonizing journalists.
“We should have fought back better in the mainstream media. We shouldn’t [have] accepted the premise that there was liberal bias. We should have defended,” Todd told The Verge. “We ended up in this both-sides trope. We bought into the idea that, ‘Oh my God, we’re perceived as having a liberal bias.’”
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun
The Rude Pundit: The Trumpist Right Wants to Emasculate Any Male Who Has Emotions About January 6
The first hearing of the House Select Committee on the January 6 terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol ran the way every hearing on a national tragedy should run. It was emotional, informative, and unifying (yes, unifying – I’ll get to that at the end). By refusing to allow the participation of Rep. Jim Jordan, who is one of the most ardent carriers of every drop of water Donald Trump dribbles and someone who looks like he smells like sweaty, unwashed polyester, Nancy Pelosi assured the committee that it wouldn’t be interrupted by constant bullshit objections and constant questions about Antifa and Black Lives Matter. Instead, we got real.
House passes $2 billion Capitol security bill in response to insurrection, clearing it for Biden’s signature
The House voted 416 to 11 on Thursday to approve a roughly $2 billion Capitol Hill security spending bill in response to the deadly January 6 insurrection, clearing the measure for President Joe Biden’s signature.
The House vote came shortly after the Senate voted unanimously to pass the measure by a tally of 98-0.
The security supplemental funding bill will provide funding for the Capitol Police, the National Guard and other law enforcement partners to cover costs incurred during the insurrection. The legislation would help ensure the Capitol is protected in the future by paying for security upgrades at the Capitol complex. Funding is also set aside for expenses related to Covid-19 response at the Capitol and several other priorities.
Read the rest of the story at CNN
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
House Republicans spar with Pelosi over return of mask requirements
A number of House Republicans, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, are wrestling with Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the return of a mask mandate in the House, protesting the requirement and even calling for her removal from office.
“That is not a speaker for America. That’s a speaker only concerned about her own wealth, her own direction and our own control,” McCarthy said at a news conference Thursday morning. “This is the people’s house, not Pelosi’s house.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out new recommendations this week over mounting concerns about the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. The CDC recommended indoor mask use in areas of the country with high transmission rates after new data suggested that fully vaccinated people not only are contracting Covid-19 but also could be infecting others.
With eviction moratorium expiring Saturday, Biden calls on Congress to act
The Biden administration on Thursday called on Congress to extend a federal freeze on evictions set to expire on Saturday, arguing its hands are tied by the Supreme Court.
The new statement comes as the country grapples with a COVID-19 surge fueled by the highly contagious delta variant.
The moratorium, essentially a nationwide ban on evictions, was put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last September. In June, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to allow the eviction ban to continue through the end of July but signaled in its ruling that it would block any further extensions unless there was “clear and specific congressional authorization.”
Biden Calls On States To Give $100 To Every Newly Vaccinated Person
President Joe Biden has called on state and local governments to give $100 to those who opt to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The White House announced the new plan Thursday as the dangerous delta variant continues to spread across the U.S. and some states lag behind in vaccination rates.
The White House said the new plan will incentivize the vaccine-hesitant to go get their shots.
Kinzinger says ‘a lot’ of Republicans have privately conveyed support for his January 6 stance
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of just two Republicans on the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection, said Wednesday that “a lot” of GOP lawmakers have privately conveyed support to him, as he stressed that “nobody actually believes” the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.
“There’s a lot of people, you know. They come up and say it,” Kinzinger told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” of his Republican colleagues privately signaling support. “It’s not any of the ones that go on TV and spout the ‘Big Lie,’ and then say it. It’s the ones that are staying more quiet that I think appreciate the stand. But it’s a lot.”
And while GOP lawmaker have publicly echoed Trump’s election lies, the Illinois Republican maintained that “nobody actually believes the election was stolen from Donald Trump. But a lot of them are happy to go out and say it was.”
Biden will announce vaccination requirement across federal government on Thursday
President Joe Biden will announce on Thursday a requirement that all federal employees and contractors be vaccinated against Covid-19, or be required to submit to regular testing and mitigation requirements, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
The announcement will come in remarks where Biden is also expected to lay out a series of new steps, including incentives, in an attempt to spur new vaccinations as the Delta variant spreads rapidly throughout the country. It will also follow the decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to require its frontline health care workers to be vaccinated over the course of the next two months.
Biden alluded to the looming announcement on Tuesday.
Pelosi calls GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy a “moron” for criticizing mask mandate
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy “a moron” for criticizing the reinstitution of a mask mandate in the House of Representatives.
“He’s such a moron,” Pelosi said as she entered an SUV outside the Capitol Wednesday morning, after a reporter asked her to react to McCarthy’s claim that the mandate was “not based on science.”
Pelosi had previously said that the mask mandate is within “the purview of the Capitol physician. I have nothing to say about that except we honor it.”
Senate votes to move forward with bipartisan infrastructure bill
The Senate voted to move forward on a bipartisan infrastructure bill after weeks of negotiations on Wednesday, clearing a key procedural hurdle on a bill that includes $550 billion in new spending for infrastructure projects around the country.
The vote to advance the legislation Wednesday night was 67 to 32, with 17 Republicans joining Democrats in voting in favor. Sixty votes were required to move the bill forward. The text of the proposal had not yet been released when the vote took place.
Simone Biles Withdraws From Women’s All-Around Final At Tokyo Olympics
Gymnast Simone Biles will not compete in the women’s individual all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, USA Gymnastics said.
“After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition,” USA Gymnastics stated. “We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.”
Biden Says Vaccine Mandate For Federal Employees ‘Under Consideration’
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that his administration was mulling the possibility of requiring COVID-19 vaccines for all federal employees.
Asked during a press conference whether he would impose a vaccine mandate on the federal workforce, Biden said, “That’s under consideration right now.”
“But if you’re not vaccinated, you’re not nearly as smart as I thought you were,” the president added.
‘Partisan Pageantry’: Republican Senators Dismiss Emotional Jan. 6 Hearing
Senate Republicans waved off police officers’ emotional accounts Tuesday of battling a violent mob of Donald Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as a partisan escapade not worth paying attention to.
“Just more of [House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s] partisan pageantry. She loves drama,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), who did not view the testimony. “Just because she loves drama doesn’t mean I have to attend the performance.”
The four officers who testified before the newly created House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 riot described vicious attacks, racial epithets and fearing for their lives as they attempted to prevent hundreds of rioters from breaching the Capitol. One Metropolitan Police Department officer directly slammed lawmakers who continued to downplay the violence despite enjoying the protection of Capitol Police officers every day.
7 Key Takeaways From The First Day Of Jan. 6 Commission Testimony
Tuesday marked the first meeting of the House select committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, with hours of emotional testimony about the mob of angry Donald Trump supporters who stormed the building and terrorized its occupants.
Four law enforcement officers delivered prepared remarks before the panel and answered questions: U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, and Metropolitan Police officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges.
Each was on the front lines of the attack and spoke of injuries they sustained both mentally and physically. Each also showed varying degrees of emotion on the stand ― whether they were clearly holding back tears or reaching for a tissue.
Pfizer And Moderna To Expand Studies Of Vaccines In 5- To 11-Year-Olds
Pfizer and Moderna are expanding the size of their vaccine trials for children 5 to 11 years old, seeking to better detect very rare heart issues among those vaccinated.
The major vaccine makers are increasing the number of children enrolled in their studies at the prompting of the federal Food and Drug Administration, first reported by The New York Times.
The FDA asked the companies to include 3,000 children — or double the previous number of participants — in order to be adequately able to detect rare side effects such as myocarditis or pericarditis, inflammations of the heart, according to unnamed sources who spoke to the Times.
Former Sen. Barbara Boxer Assaulted, Robbed In California
Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer was assaulted and robbed Monday in Oakland, California, her son said.
The assault happened in the Jack London Square neighborhood, according to a tweet on Boxer’s verified Twitter account.
“The assailant pushed her in the back, stole her cell phone and jumped in a waiting car,” the tweet said. “She is thankful that she was not seriously injured.”
California Will Require State Employees, Health Care Workers To Get Vaccinated
Californians who work for the state, in health care, or in a handful of other high-risk settings will be required to show proof they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing, the governor announced Monday.
The policy will take effect for state employees on Aug. 2. Staffers at what the state has deemed “high-risk congregate settings” have until Aug. 9 to get their shots, while employees at health care facilities will have until Aug. 23.
Democrats look to move past partisan rancor and set serious tone for Jan. 6 investigation today
Members on the panel have been preparing for weeks to move swiftly with an investigation examining key unanswered questions surrounding the breaching of the Capitol by a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters who echoed his false claims about the 2020 election while seeking to stop Congress’s efforts to certify its results and declare Joe Biden the next president.
Charlie Pierce: The FBI’s Brett Kavanaugh Probe Always Smelled Like a Sham
Anyone who sat through the extended hearings into the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court realized that the whole business was completely off at its center. Christine Blasey Ford was so believable that the blasts of outrage from the likes of Lindsey Graham, and from the nominee himself, smacked of ludicrous overkill, particularly since they had the votes to confirm him unless they found his fingerprints on the Lindbergh baby. When Kavanaugh angrily asked Senator Amy Klobuchar if she’d ever been blackout drunk—even if he didn’t know about her father’s alcoholism—he made Clarence Thomas’ evocation of a “high-tech lynching” sound like calm, reasoned parliamentary rhetoric. He sounded guilty as hell, and even some of the Republicans, especially then-Senator Jeff Flake, suspected the same.
Growing group of GOP members wants McCarthy to punish Kinzinger and Cheney for joining January 6 committee
A growing group of rank-and-file House Republicans wants House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and GOP leadership to punish Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for accepting a position from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on the select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection.
The push to seek punishment rose to a new level on Sunday, after Pelosi announced that Kinzinger had accepted her invitation to join the committee. Initially, most rank-and-file Republicans were content to let Cheney serve without much of a fight, but Kinzinger’s addition has changed the conversation and has put a new level of pressure on McCarthy.
Kevin McCarthy Says Pelosi Picking 1/6 Committee Members ‘Who Share Her Pre-Conceived Narrative’ After She Appoints Kinzinger
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy decried the 1/6 select committee after Speaker Nancy Pelosi added a second Republican to it.
McCarthy announced five Republicans for the committee last week. Pelosi rejected two of them — Jim Banks and Jim Jordan — so McCarthy pulled all five of them.
One of Pelosi’s appointments was Republican Liz Cheney, and on Sunday she added another Republican, Adam Kinzinger. Both Cheney and Kinzinger have been vocal calling out the big lie about the 2020 election.
Fauci: U.S. Headed In ‘Wrong Direction’ On Coronavirus, Delta Variant
The United States is in an “unnecessary predicament” of soaring COVID-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert said Sunday.
“We’re going in the wrong direction,’’ said Dr. Anthony Fauci, describing himself as “very frustrated.”
He said recommending that the vaccinated wear masks is “under active consideration’’ by the government’s leading public health officials. Also, booster shots may be suggested for people with suppressed immune systems who have been vaccinated, Fauci said.
GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger Says He’ll Serve On Jan. 6 House Committee
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger has confirmed he will serve on the select panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol shortly after receiving an invite from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
“Let me be clear, I’m a Republican dedicated to conservative values, but I swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution ― and while this is not the position I expected to be in or sought out, when duty calls, I will always answer,” the Illinois congressman said in a statement posted to Twitter on Sunday. “I will work diligently to ensure we get to the truth and hold those responsible for the attack fully accountable.”
Dean Obeidallah: Fox News’ Covid vaccine denials can’t go unpunished
Typically, when Fox News spews lies or misinformation on political issues, my response is a mix of fact-checking and eye rolls. But the current misinformation campaign about the Covid-19 vaccine from some of Fox News’ most popular hosts demands more than a typical response given lives are on the line.
That’s why I filed a complaint this week with the Federal Trade Commission against Fox News for possible violations of the Covid-19 Consumer Protection Act. That law, enacted in December 2020, makes it “unlawful” for a corporation or individual “to engage in a deceptive act or practice in or affecting commerce associated with the treatment, cure, prevention, mitigation, or diagnosis of COVID–19.” My goal in filing this case is to prompt the agency to investigate and bring an end to the apparently deceptive information Fox News has been selling to the consumers of its channel.
Eric Boehlert: Remember when Politico said DeSantis “won the pandemic”?
Florida has become a Covid-19 debacle, again.
Now accounting for one-in-every five new cases nationwide, the Sunshine State under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has emerged as a beacon of irresponsibility. Not that he seems to care.
Off visiting Texas recently to take part in more GOP photo-ops at the border, DeSantis often brushes off the pandemic bad news. “It’s a seasonal virus and this is the seasonal pattern it follows in the Sun Belt states,” he said this week. (He blamed“quote-unquote ‘experts’” for criticizing the unvaccinated.) The governor is busy though, selling anti-vaccine merchandise, like “Don’t Fauci My Florida” t-shirts.
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun.
The Rude Pundit: Answering the Dumb Responses to “Why We’re So Fucking Angry at the Unvaccinated”
n response to my post from earlier this week, a number of skeevy anti-vax taint-huffers wrote to inform me of how wrong I am. Some were of the polite “have you considered this?” variety. Others were more along the line of “Fuck you, you fucking asshole.” My favorite was the one person who accused me of being a shill for Big Pharma, making bank by promoting their murder shot. Man, I wish.
Of course, what goes unexplained in that scenario there is that if Big Pharma were really deceiving people and serving up poison, wouldn’t that eliminate their customer base? I mean, at least oxy addicted people for a while before they died. You kill your users right out of the gate, and you’ve cut your profits way down.
Tokyo new virus cases near 2,000 a day before Olympics open
Tokyo hit another six-month high in new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, one day before the Olympics begin, as worries grow of a worsening of infections during the Games.
Thursday’s 1,979 new cases are the highest since 2,044 were recorded on Jan. 15.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is determined to hold the Olympics, placed Tokyo under a state of emergency on July 12, but daily cases have sharply increased since then.
Mississippi asks Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade
The state of Mississippi formally asked the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday to uphold its ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that gave women the unfettered right to end a pregnancy before a fetus is viable outside the womb.
“Under the Constitution, may a State prohibit elective abortions before viability? Yes. Why? Because nothing in constitutional text, structure, history, or tradition supports a right to abortion,” the state says bluntly in its opening brief in a blockbuster case that will dominate the court’s next term.
Pelosi says other Republicans “expressed their interest” in serving on January 6 select committee
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that some Republican lawmakers have “expressed their interest” in serving on the select committee investigating the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatened to pull his picks from the panel.
Pelosi has not said whether she would appoint other GOP lawmakers to the January 6 select committee but, when asked whether she would make the call on adding more members to the panel, said Democratic leadership and the lawmakers tapped for it work together.
CDC Director Says Delta Variant Of COVID-19 Among ‘Most Transmissible’ Viruses Known
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued a stark warning Thursday about the spread of the delta strain of COVID-19, saying the variant is one of the “most infectious respiratory viruses” scientists know of.
The dire message comes amid urgency from public health officials that Americans get vaccinated. The CDC said earlier this week that cases of the delta strain now make up about 83% of new infections in the U.S., and a majority of deaths from the disease are among unvaccinated people.
US virus cases nearly triple in 2 weeks amid misinformation
COVID-19 cases nearly tripled in the U.S. over two weeks amid an onslaught of vaccine misinformation that is straining hospitals, exhausting doctors and pushing clergy into the fray.
“Our staff, they are frustrated,” said Chad Neilsen, director of infection prevention at UF Health Jacksonville, a Florida hospital that is canceling elective surgeries and procedures after the number of mostly unvaccinated COVID-19 inpatients at its two campuses jumped to 134, up from a low of 16 in mid-May.
“They are tired. They are thinking this is déjà vu all over again, and there is some anger because we know that this is a largely preventable situation, and people are not taking advantage of the vaccine.”
Infrastructure vote fails as senators try to salvage bipartisan deal
Senate Republicans blocked moving forward on a bipartisan infrastructure bill that’s still being negotiated on Wednesday. Surprisingly, members of the group insist they’re unbothered.
The vote amounted to a setback to a key priority of President Joe Biden, although members of both parties expect at least one more try in the coming days. GOP centrists say they may be willing to provide the votes as early as Monday, when they think discussions will conclude over a bill expected to provide nearly $600 billion.
Biden Predicts F.D.A. Will Give Final Vaccine Approval by the Fall
President Biden said on Wednesday that he expected the Food and Drug Administration would give final approval quickly for coronavirus vaccines, as he pressed for skeptical Americans to get vaccinated and stop another surge of the pandemic.
Speaking to a town hall audience in Ohio, Mr. Biden said he was not intervening in the decisions of government scientists, but pointed toward a potential decision soon from the F.D.A. to give final approval for the vaccines, which are currently authorized for emergency use. Many medical professionals have pushed for the final approval, saying it could help increase uptake of the vaccines.
McCarthy threatens to pull Jan. 6 committee choices after Pelosi rejects GOP Reps. Jordan and Banks
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., rejected two of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s picks for the select committee formed to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, prompting McCarthy to threaten to pull all of his proposed appointees.
Pelosi spoke with McCarthy, R-Calif., on Wednesday morning “about the objections raised” to his decision to appoint Republican Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio and “the impact their appointments could have on the integrity of the investigation,” she said in a statement.
Senate Republicans warn Schumer they won’t help on Wednesday’s high-stakes infrastructure vote
As the Senate barrels toward a key test vote Wednesday on a bipartisan infrastructure deal, some Senate Republicans involved in trying to nail down the deal are pleading with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to delay the vote until next week.
Key Republican negotiators in the bipartisan group of senators who have been trying to work out the deal say they believe they can firm up their proposal by Monday. The group huddled over Mexican food and wine behind closed doors for over two hours late Tuesday night, but left without squaring all of their differences on how to pay for the $1.2 trillion package.
Delta Variant Now Makes Up 83% Of New U.S. COVID Cases: CDC Director
The more transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus now makes up about 83% of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., with the majority of deaths occurring in unvaccinated people, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
“This is a dramatic increase up from 50%, the week of July 3,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky said of the current rate of cases involving the delta strain during a Senate hearing. “In some parts of the country, the percentage is even higher.”
Over the last week, the U.S. has averaged 239 deaths per day from the virus. This is a near-48% increase from the prior week. The overwhelming majority of deaths are among those who are unvaccinated, she said.
Fourth Oath Keeper in Capitol riot pleads guilty, cooperates with FBI
A fourth person who joined with members of the far-right Oath Keepers during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot pleaded guilty Tuesday and was cooperating with federal investigators.
The man, Caleb Berry, 20, of Tampa, Florida, admitted in federal court in Washington, D.C., that he and other group members planned for Jan. 6 and entered the Capitol in a single-file formation.
Prosecutors had asked a federal judge to keep records of his case under seal until Tuesday to avoid tipping off other Oath Keepers who face federal charges. Maintaining secrecy “will ensure the defendant’s safety while he cooperates pursuant to his plea agreement,” they said.
Tom Barrack, Trump’s inaugural committee chair, charged with acting as agent of UAE
Tom Barrack, who chaired former President Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee, was arrested Tuesday on charges that he unlawfully influenced the foreign policy positions of the campaign and administration to advance the interests of the United Arab Emirates, the Department of Justice said.
In a seven-count grand jury indictment, unsealed in a New York federal court, Barrack, 74, and two others are accused of “acting and conspiring to act as agents” of the UAE between April 2016 and April 2018, but without registering as foreign agents. Barrack was also charged with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements to federal law enforcement agents.
Delta variant fears send Dow tumbling more than 700 points in worst one-day decline of 2021
Global stock markets swooned Monday, with the Dow slumping more than 700 points, as investors grow increasingly anxious about a delta-led resurgence in coronavirus cases and its potential to derail the economic recovery. Oil prices also fell sharply.
The delta variant is now the dominant strain worldwide and surging rapidly, even in countries with high vaccination rates. New coronavirus infections in the United States rose nearly 70 percent in a single week, officials reported Friday, and nearly every state has reported an increase in cases. Japan declared a state of emergency in Tokyo during the Summer Games — which kick off later this week — and banned spectators, but there have been several positive coronavirus tests at the Olympic Village and an alternate for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team has tested positive. Many market watchers are fearful the uptick will lead to a resumption in travel and business restrictions.
Biden tries to clarify comment that Facebook is ‘killing people’
Days after Facebook publicly rejected President Joe Biden’s message to the platform that it’s “killing people” by allowing the spread of vaccine misinformation, even as COVID-19 infections rise and vaccinations fall around the U.S., he tried to clean up his comment about the social media giant Monday, saying he hopes Facebook doesn’t take it “personally.”
Following remarks on the economy at the White House, a reporter asked about his comment Friday to companies and platforms like Facebook, the president interjected to answer before the reporter could finish.
GOP leader Kevin McCarthy makes his picks for Jan. 6 select committee
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has selected five members to join the select committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, two Republican aides said Monday.
McCarthy tapped Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rodney Davis of Illinois, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota and Troy Nehls of Texas to serve on the panel.
Banks will be the committee’s ranking member. Jordan has been a Trump firebrand in Congress, often haranguing witnesses and criticizing Democrats during high-profile hearings.
Southern surge: Hospitals brace for wave of Covid cases not seen in months
For doctors at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, a rush of new Covid-19 cases and a dwindling availability of beds feels like the hospital is backsliding to how it was at the end of 2020.
The latest projections from the school’s college of public health suggests statewide Covid hospitalizations will triple in the next two weeks, which would mean a return to a chaotic period when staffing and resources were strained, elective operations were limited and it seemed like there was no end to the crisis in sight.
If that happens, “that will surpass what we saw last winter,” said Dr. Steppe Mette, the CEO of the university’s Medical Center in Little Rock.
Dr. Irwin Redlener: To Save American Lives, Biden Needs to Ask Trump For His Help
“I doubt that either POTUS 45 or 46 would be anxious to admit that it was complementary efforts by both presidents that allowed the U.S. to create, manufacture, and distribute Covid-19 vaccines in record time and with startling efficiency. But it was after Operation Warp Speed that President Biden was able to focus on upping vaccine production even further and simultaneously assemble a spectacularly effective team to make sure that the shots were distributed rapidly and promoted aggressively. In so doing, the Biden strategy resulted in twice as many doses administered as he himself had set as a goal for his first 100 days.
To read the rest of Dr. Irwin Redlener’s piece, go to The Daily Beast
Social media must do more to support vaccination, surgeon general says
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Sunday dismissed the idea that the Biden administration is looking for a scapegoat and using Facebook misinformation as an excuse for missing its vaccination goals.
“This is about the health of Americans and the reality is that misinformation is still spreading like wildfire in our country, aided and abetted by technology platforms,” Murthy said on “Fox News Sunday.” “I have been in dialogue with a number of technology companies in good faith efforts to express my concerns to them and where they have taken positive steps. And some of them have, I’ve acknowledged that, as we should do, but what I’ve also said very clearly to them, privately and also publicly, is that it’s not enough.”
3 Texas Dems test positive for coronavirus while in D.C.
Three Texas House Democrats who fled the state have tested positive for coronavirus while in Washington, D.C., the Texas House Democratic Caucus said in a statement on Saturday.
Over 50 House Democrats from the state left on Monday to break quorum in the chamber. In doing so, they prevented Republicans from advancing proposals to change the state’s election laws, which include empowering poll watchers in the state and proposing new criminal and civil penalties for election workers, along with other legislative items in the special session.
Biden says DOJ to appeal DACA ruling he calls ‘deeply disappointing’
President Joe Biden said it’s “deeply disappointing” that a federal judge in Texas has ruled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program as unlawful, and said the Department of Justice will appeal the decision.
“While the court’s order does not now affect current DACA recipients, this decision nonetheless relegates hundreds of thousands of young immigrants to an uncertain future,” Biden said in a statement on Saturday.
Bipartisan infrastructure negotiators scramble for deal as key funding option dropped
The group of 10 bipartisan infrastructure negotiators was already having trouble coming up with ways to pay for nearly $600 billion in planned new spending, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer setting a Wednesday deadline for a key test vote on their bill turned up the heat and pressure significantly.
“That’s pretty aggressive. That means we have a lot of work to do,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a key GOP negotiator, announcing that she and her colleagues would be working through the weekend to try to finish up the details of their $1.2 trillion plan.
Eric Boehlert: Complete failure — the media’s critical race theory debacle gets worse
Did you know the entire “country” is now “panicked” about critical race theory? That absurd claim was laundered in a New York Times headline this week, as the newspaper tried to unpack the current, manufactured outrage being fueled by conservatives in their never-ending bid to wage cultural wars.
The ginned-up moral crisis continues to rage because news outlets like the Times are doing a monumentally awful job framing the story and making nonsense claims like the “country” is “panicked” about an obscure, insightful academic pursuit, usually only taught in colleges and graduate schools. (Spoiler: Most of the country has no idea what critical race theory is, let alone “panicked” by it.)
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun
The Rude Pundit: Republicans Loved the Covid Vaccine Before They Hated It
I have seen a lot of cynical shit when it comes to the way that conservative politicians and media whores manipulate their fucking ignorant followers, from the Cadillac-driving welfare queens to drug hysteria to birtherism and so very much more. But I cannot wrap my head around the exploitation of fear and the selfish hyping of ideological division behind the right-wing campaign against the Covid vaccine. It’s nonsensical on a health level and on a basic reality level, and for the majority of us who know that the only way to finally be out of the coronavirus despair is with herd immunity from the vaccine, it’s unforgivable.
Ex-Trump Official Calls The GOP America’s ‘Number One National Security Threat’
A former Homeland Security official under Donald Trump says his own party is a national security threat.
Miles Taylor, who served as the agency’s deputy chief of staff and then chief of staff from 2017 to 2019, told MSNBC’s Jason Johnson that he’s not a political operative, just someone who works in national security.
“And the number one national security threat I’ve ever seen in my life to this country’s democracy is the party that I’m in, the Republican Party,” Taylor said on Thursday.
Trump denies coup attempt in latest attack on Milley
Former President Donald Trump attacked Gen. Mark Milley again on Thursday, this time over new reports that the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff sought to prevent Trump from perpetrating a government takeover reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
In a more than 400-word statement issued from his post-presidential office, Trump denied that he had ever “threatened, or spoke about, to anyone, a coup of our Government,” calling the notion “So ridiculous!”
“Sorry to inform you, but an Election is my form of ‘coup,’” Trump said, “and if I was going to do a coup, one of the last people I would want to do it with is General Mark Milley.”
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) Arrested During Protest For Voting Rights
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) was detained by U.S. Capitol Police on Thursday while protesting for voting rights alongside other Black women at a Senate office building in Washington, D.C.
Beatty, who is chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, tweeted a photo of herself being zip-tied by police with the message: “Let the people vote. Fight for justice.”
Nine people were arrested Thursday for “illegal demonstration” in a “prohibited area” of the Capitol, according to police. Two men and seven women were brought in to Capitol Police headquarters for processing.
Los Angeles County reinstates indoor mask mandate as delta variant spreads
Public health officials will reinstate an indoor mask mandate for residents of the most populous county in the nation as coronavirus cases rise just one month after the state reopened its economy.
Fueled by the quickening spread of the delta variant, the mask ordinance will go into effect late Saturday and will apply to everyone regardless of vaccination status. Exceptions will apply, but those were not immediately clear Thursday. The Public Health Department said it will release full guidance no later than Friday.
Dispiriting setback: COVID deaths, cases rise again globally
COVID-19 deaths and cases are on the rise again globally in a dispiriting setback that is triggering another round of restrictions and dampening hopes for a return to normal life.
The World Health Organization reported Wednesday that deaths climbed last week after nine straight weeks of decline. It recorded more than 55,000 lives lost, a 3% increase from the week before.
Liz Cheney Reportedly Tore Into Jim Jordan At The Capitol On Jan. 6
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) reportedly called out Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to his face on Jan. 6 as the insurrection unfolded and lawmakers were forced to flee as supporters of then-President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol.
“You fucking did this,” she told him, according to an upcoming book, “I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year,” by Washington Post reporters Carol D. Leonnig and Philip Rucker.
The Daily Beast obtained a copy of the book in advance of its release next week.
In it, Gen. Mark Milley ― who is chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ― recounted a conversation with Cheney the day after the insurrection.
Top General Feared Trump Would Use Military To Stay In Power, Compared Him To Nazis: Book
Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was deeply worried that then-President Donald Trump would refuse to leave the White House and warned colleagues he was afraid the man would try to use the military to stay in office, according to book excerpts published Wednesday.
Milley, the nation’s top military officer, also compared Trump’s actions to the rise of Adolf Hitler, saying he viewed the president as a “classic authoritarian leader with nothing to lose” after Democratic rival Joe Biden won the 2020 election by more than 7 million votes, CNN and The Washington Post reported.
“This is a Reichstag moment,” Milley told aides in the days leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. “The gospel of the Führer.”
Child tax credit payments will start hitting bank accounts today. Here’s what you need to know.
Most eligible families in the U.S. will get their first monthly payments of the expanded child tax credit Thursday.
The payments, which were included in the American Rescue Plan, change an existing tax credit by expanding the eligibility pool and increasing the money families get. Under the expanded credit, the IRS, also for the first time, offers the option to receive the payments monthly, rather than in a lump sum as a tax refund.
The expanded payments are expected to dramatically decrease the number of children living in poverty; the White House estimates that child poverty could be reduced by as much as 50 percent.
Texas Democrats defy arrest threats after fleeing to block voting law
More than 50 Democrats flew to Washington DC on Monday, in a move intended to paralyse the state’s House of Representatives ahead of the vote.
At least two-thirds of the chamber’s 150 members must be present for a vote.
On Tuesday, Republican Governor Greg Abbott threatened the missing politicians with arrest.
He said they would be detained “as soon as they come back” to Texas.
Democratic senators move toward ending the federal prohibition on cannabis
For the first time in Senate history, Democrats on Wednesday will move toward ending the federal prohibition on cannabis, removing it from the federal list of controlled substances. It’s a move sponsors hope will also end the disproportionate harm that has been done to communities of color.
To date, some 18 states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana and 37 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, now allow the medical use of the drug.
Biden blasts GOP voting restrictions push: ‘The big lie is just that — a big lie!’
President Joe Biden on Tuesday decried Republican efforts to limit ballot access across the country as a “21st century Jim Crow assault,” while warning Americans that the GOP push to restrict voting and “selfish” challenge of the 2020 election results were “the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War.”
“There is an unfolding assault taking place in America today, an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections, an assault on democracy, an assault on liberty, an assault on who we are as Americans,” Biden said at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
Senate Democrats reveal $3.5 trillion plan to invest in health care, climate change and more
Senate Democratic leaders announced an agreement Tuesday evening to advance a $3.5 trillion spending plan to finance a major expansion of the economic safety net.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the $3.5 trillion would be in addition to the $579 billion in new spending in the bipartisan infrastructure agreement.
He said the deal would include a “robust expansion of Medicare” that would include new benefits like dental, vision and hearing coverage, along with major funding for clean energy. “If we pass this, this is the most profound change to help American families in generations,” he said.
Facing possible sanctions, Sidney Powell defends 2020 election lawsuit during heated hearing
Former Trump attorney Sidney Powell and her legal team clashed repeatedly with a federal judge Monday during a hearing to determine if sanctions are warranted against her and other attorneys who filed a lawsuit in Michigan based on false claims of election fraud in an unsuccessful attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and the City of Detroit have requested that Federal Judge Linda V. Parker sanction Powell, attorney Lin Wood, and other members of the legal team that were involved in the efforts to have Michigan’s presidential election returns decertified due to unsubstantiated claims of voting irregularities.
After meeting with Pfizer, U.S. health agency reiterates that Covid vaccine booster not necessary
U.S. health officials, after meeting with vaccine maker Pfizer, reiterated on Monday that Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need to get a booster shot, a spokesperson for the Health and Human Services Department said.
Pfizer said last week it planned to ask U.S. regulators to authorize a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, based on evidence of greater risk of infection six months after inoculation and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
HHS officials had a briefing from Pfizer on Monday regarding their latest, preliminary data on vaccinations and will continue to discuss when and if booster shots will be needed in the future, the spokesperson said.
Texas Democrats leave state to prevent vote on GOP election bill
Democratic lawmakers from Texas declared Monday night that they were “determined to kill this bill” after they left the state earlier in the day to prevent a vote in the state Legislature on Republican election bills.
By leaving the state, lawmakers are preventing a quorum during the special legislative session that is being held because they scuttled the May legislative session — also by leaving — to block a sweeping elections bill.
Indicted Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg removed from top roles at subsidiaries
Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization chief financial officer indicted on tax fraud charges this month, has quietly been removed from top positions at more than two dozen Trump subsidiaries, NBC News has confirmed.
Weisselberg, 73, was removed from positions with at least 28 Trump subsidiaries, according to filings with the Florida State Department that were first reported Monday by The Wall Street Journal.
A person familiar with the matter told NBC News that the Trump Organization took a “prudent corporate governance approach” for the time being to avoid any potential issues in Florida but added that Weisselberg’s overall role with the Trump Organization remains unchanged.
Charlie Pierce: Sidney Powell Is Going Down With the Ship
I am not a lawyer, and I play one here in the shebeen only occasionally, but there is one thing about the law that I know. If you are an attorney before the bar, representing your client, it is far better to piss off the judge than to piss off the court reporter, and this is true even if you’ve already pissed off the judge from hell until breakfast.
I spent a lot of Monday midday sitting in on the hearing in a federal court in Michigan held to consider professional sanctions against the Kraken Krewe, the crack legal team assembled by the former president*’s campaign to overturn the election results in that state. Judge Linda Parker was already on her last nerve with the Krewe’s nonsense when their lawyer, Donald Campbell, interrupted the closing remarks of David Fink, who was there representing the city of Detroit—and, by extension, anyone with a functional cerebral cortex. Fink just had pointed out that all of the insane lawsuits brought by the Trump forces played a part in the drama that ended up in the Capitol on January 6. Campbell interrupted Fink, and the court reporter had had enough.
Texas GOP advances voting restrictions as hundreds push back
Texas Republicans advanced bills Sunday that would make voting harder in a state that already has some of the nation’s toughest restrictions after hundreds spoke against the proposals — with some waiting to speak for almost 24 hours.
Republicans made clear they intended to advance a new election bill — which would prohibit 24-hour polling places, ban drop boxes and stop drive-thru voting — this weekend, with a first major vote on the proposals expected this week. That timeline is pushing some Democratic lawmakers toward calling for a second walkout to again stop the restrictions from moving forward like they did in May when they broke quorum.
Weapons cache at Denver hotel near MLB All-Star game venue uncovered by police
A tip from a housekeeper led police to uncover a large arsenal of weapons at a hotel in downtown Denver about a block from Coors Field, where Major League Baseball‘s All-Star Game is set to be played on Tuesday.
Three men and a woman were arrested and 16 long guns, body armor, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and narcotics were seized from two rooms at the Maven Hotel in downtown Denver.
Trump Wins CPAC Straw Poll As Conservatives Urge Him To Run Again In 2024
Former President Donald Trump handily won the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday as attendees said they would overwhelmingly like to see him run for another term in the White House in 2024.
The poll, a hypothetical survey asking respondents who they would vote for in the Republican primary if it were held today, saw Trump win 70% of the votes. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) came in second with 21% of the votes. A smattering of other contenders all garnered about 1% each, including Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
Former Vice President Mike Pence received zero percent of the votes.
Fauci Says It’s ‘Horrifying’ To See CPAC Crowd Cheering Anti-Vaccine Remarks
The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said Sunday he was horrified to see attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference cheering that the U.S. hadn’t reached its vaccination goals.
“It’s horrifying. I mean, they are cheering about someone saying that it’s a good thing for people not to try and save their lives,” Fauci told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
“I mean, if you just unpack that for a second, Jake, it’s almost frightening to say, ‘Hey, guess what, we don’t want you to do something to save your life. Yay!’ Everybody starts screaming and clapping. I just don’t get that,” he said. “And I don’t think that anybody who’s thinking clearly can get that.”
Eric Boehlert: Tucker Carlson’s NSA spying story gets dumber and dumber
Spinning his way through an incoherent, headline-grabbing allegation that the U.S. Intelligence Community has been “spying” on him and releasing his emails to journalists in an effort to get his show cancelled, Tucker Carlson detailed this week how “the Biden administration” had big plans to take him down.
Conceding that he’s been in contact with US-based Kremlin intermediaries while trying to secure an interview with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Carlson on Wednesday claimed the National Security Agency found out about that, captured his emails and planned to leak them to journalists, “which they did.” But why would anybody care that Carlson was trying to secure a Putin interview? In Carlson’s telling, the government was going to try, “to paint me as a disloyal American” a Russian operative, “a stooge of the Kremlin, a traitor,” for seeking the interview.
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun
The Rude Pundit: Hey, Fellow White People, We Should Be Ashamed and Angry About Racism in American History
When I was applying for jobs in academia years ago, I figured that, depending where I was applying, my whiteness and maleness would work against me or in my favor. It never occurred to me to resent the idea that I might lose out to an equally qualified non-white person or a woman because I believe that diversity in education is an imperative to maybe, perhaps one day overcoming or at least ameliorating the effects of racism and sexism. On more than one occasion, some other white guy would ask me if I was upset that I might lose out on a dream job because of affirmative action or diversity hiring.
Kamala Harris announces DNC investing additional $25 million in voting rights initiative
Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Thursday that the Democratic National Committee is investing an additional $25 million in its voting rights initiative, underscoring the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to a cause that has become a rallying cry for the party.
“This campaign is grounded in the firm belief that everyone’s vote matters — that your vote matters,” Harris said, flanked by two American flags.
Biden announces U.S. military mission in Afghanistan will end August 31
President Biden said the withdrawal from Afghanistan of U.S troops after 20 years of war will conclude on August 31, ahead of the September 11 deadline he announced in mid-April.
“We are ending the nation’s longest war,” the president said in remarks at the White House Thursday.
At the time he announced the September deadline, about 3,500 troops remained. Earlier this week, the Pentagon said that the withdrawal was 90% complete. It proceeded quickly for a reason.
Fully vaccinated people don’t need Covid boosters, U.S. health agencies say
People who are fully vaccinated do not need Covid-19 boosters, health and drug officials said Thursday.
“We are prepared for booster doses if and when the science demonstrates that they are needed,” the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint statement.
The agencies said those who are vaccinated are protected from variants, including the surging delta variant. But they urged Americans 12 and older who have not yet been vaccinated to get their shots.
Dr. Irwin Redlener: South Florida collapse shows infrastructure is a persistent threat to public health
The deadly building collapse in South Florida is a searing reminder that fragile infrastructure can have tragic public health consequences.
Although exceptions can and have occurred, 72 hours is considered the essential rescue window for people trapped in rubble following the collapse of a building. After that, without an ongoing source of oxygen and water, especially in the presence of severe injuries, survival becomes increasingly unlikely. In the case of last Thursday’s early morning collapse of the 13-story Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside, Fla., that deadline came and passed at 1:30 a.m. last Sunday. Hope now rapidly dims for the 126 people still unaccounted for.
Biden pitches bipartisan infrastructure deal along with his plan to boost spending on education, child care and health care
In a dig at former president Donald Trump, Biden said, “We’re not going to have 40 weeks of ‘This is infrastructure.’ ”
Finding survivors in Florida condo collapse ‘no longer possible’; search and rescue halted
Officials announced Wednesday evening that the search and rescue efforts at the collapsed Miami Beach-area condo building would shift to a recovery operation, signaling the formal end of the search for survivors.
With 86 people still unaccounted for, crews have not found anyone alive since shortly after half of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, crumbled into a pile of rubble in less than a minute early June 24.
For two weeks, officials called the grueling, nearly-nonstop dig a search and rescue mission.
‘Stupid On So Many Levels’: Trump’s Social Media Lawsuits Raked Over The Coals
Lawyers, reporters and other people who still have access to social media went to town Wednesday on former President Donald Trump’s moonshot lawsuit against Facebook, Twitter and Google.
Trump announced he’s seeking class-action lawsuits against the tech giants for what he claims is an infringement of his First Amendment rights. He says the companies violated his right to freedom of speech by disabling his social media accounts in January.
Trump was banned from Twitter and suspended from YouTube and Facebook for violating each of the platforms’ policies after he incited his supporters to attempt a violent overthrow of the government on Jan. 6.
Biden calls for more urgency for Covid vaccinations as new variant spreads
President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for a renewed urgency to get more Americans vaccinated against Covid-19as a variant of the virus is contributing to case surges in parts of the country.
“We can’t get complacent now,” Biden said. “You can do this. Let’s finish the job.”
In a brief speech at the White House, Biden said that his administration would shift focus from mass vaccination sites to a smaller, more community-based approach to try to reach those still holding out on getting the shots.
Being our semi-regular weekly survey of what’s goin’ down in the several states where, as we know, the real work of governmentin’ gets done, and where if you go down in the flood, it’s going to be your fault.
We begin in the state of Washington, where a state representative did his Dennis The Peasant routine in about the foulest way you can. From the Washington Post:
Washington state Rep. Jim Walsh has decried “vaccine segregation” and likenedhis state’s lottery encouraging immunization against the coronavirus to the “The Hunger Games.” Then, last weekend, the Republican lawmaker wore a yellow Star of David. “It’s an echo from history,” Walsh wrote of the star in the comments below a live stream of his talk Saturday in Lacey, Wash. “ … In the current context, we’re all Jews.”
Pelosi taps GOP Rep. Liz Cheney for House select committee to investigate Jan. 6
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced Republican Rep. Liz Cheney will serve on the House select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
“We are very honored and proud she has agreed to serve on the committee,” Pelosi said Thursday.
At her press conference on Capitol Hill, Pelosi also announced House Homeland Security Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., will serve as the chair of the committee, which was widely expected.
Surfside building collapse: Search and rescue efforts resume following structural concerns
One week after a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in South Florida‘s Miami-Dade County, at least 18 people have been confirmed deadwhile 145 others remain unaccounted for, officials said.
The massive search and rescue operation, now in its eighth day, was halted for much of Thursday due to structural concerns, as officials worried about the remaining condo building also collapsing. Crews continue to carefully comb through the pancaked pile of debris in hopes of finding survivors. The partial collapse occurred around 1:15 a.m. on June 24 at the Champlain Towers South condominium in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach. Approximately 55 of the oceanfront complex’s 136 units were destroyed, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Raide Jadallah.
Supreme Court Allows Arizona To Keep Voting Restrictions
The Supreme Court dealt another blow to the Voting Rights Act on Thursday, ruling in favor of Republicans that Arizona can maintain restrictions that critics say discriminate against nonwhite voters.
The ruling was a 6-3 vote and written by Justice Samuel Alito. Alito’s opinion was joined by the five other conservative justices. Justice Elena Kagan penned a dissent and was joined by the other two liberal justices.
The ruling will have sweeping implications, opening the door for similar restrictions in other states by saying they are acceptable under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. However, the ruling stopped short of fully gutting Section 2.
Trump Organization Is Charged With Running 15-Year Employee Tax Scheme
The Trump Organization, the real estate business that catapulted Donald J. Trump to tabloid fame, television riches and ultimately the White House, was charged Thursday with running a 15-year scheme to help its executives evade taxes by compensating them with fringe benefits that were hidden from the authorities.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which has been conducting the investigation alongside the New York attorney general, also accused a top executive, Allen H. Weisselberg, of avoiding taxes on $1.7 million in perks that should have been reported as income. Mr. Weisselberg, Mr. Trump’s long-serving and trusted chief financial officer, faced grand larceny, tax fraud and other charges.
President Biden to visit site of Florida building collapse today
President Joe Biden will visit Surfside, Fla., on Thursday following the collapse of a condo building in the coastal suburb, a departure from the White House’s position a day earlier that the president had no immediate plans to visit the site of the disaster.
The president told reporters of his plans to visit South Florida “hopefully as early as Thursday” as he left the White House on Tuesday to head to Wisconsin. The White House later confirmed that the president will travel to Surfside with the first lady on Thursday.
Donald Rumsfeld, Defense Secretary During Iraq War, Is Dead at 88
Donald H. Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense for Presidents Gerald R. Ford and George W. Bush, who presided over America’s Cold War strategies in the 1970s and, in the new world of terrorism decades later, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, died on Tuesday at his home in Taos, N.M. He was 88.
The cause was multiple myeloma, said Keith Urbahn, a spokesman for the family.
Bill Cosby released after assault conviction overturned by Pennsylvania Supreme Court
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the indecent assault conviction of Bill Cosby on Wednesday and ordered his release from prison after finding that he was denied protection against self-incrimination.
The court said that a prosecutor’s decision not to charge Cosby, 83, in an earlier case opened the door for him to speak freely in a lawsuit against him, thinking he would not incriminate himself criminally. A second prosecutor later used the lawsuit testimony in a criminal trial, and that testimony was key in his conviction years later.
Charges against Trump Organization and CFO Allen Weisselberg to be unsealed Thursday
Charges are expected to be unsealed Thursday against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, related to a criminal tax investigation in connection with an array of perks and benefits awarded to employees.
A Manhattan grand jury filed the indictments Wednesday, according to people familiar with the matter, but it was not immediately clear how many charges are in the indictments.
Though former President Donald Trump faced multiple federal and state prosecutorial inquiries during his administration, the district attorney’s indictment would be the first to charge his namesake company, the Trump Organization, for conduct that occurred when he led it.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
BREAKING: Trump Organization, CFO Allen Weisselberg Reportedly Set to Be Charged for Tax Crimes on Thursday
A new report indicates that the Trump Organization, as well as its chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg are about to be charged with tax-related crimes.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Manhattan district attorney’s office will charge Weisselberg and the Trump Organization at large on Thursday. This corroborates previous reports suggesting criminal charges would be leveled against Weisselberg and the Trump Organization by the end of this week.
Read the rest of the story at Mediaite
Trump Alabama Rally Canceled Over ‘Partisan’ Concerns
If Donald Trump is to hold his “Save America” rally in Alabama on Fourth of July weekend, he’ll need to find a different venue. Citing “partisan” concerns, Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile has nixed the event, which was to be held on Saturday. The U.S.S. Alabama memorial and museum is docked in Mobile Bay.
“After the request was made, then there was contact with the Republican Party,” park commissioner Bill Tunnell told NBC 15 News. “They contacted us and then it became apparent that it was going to be a partisan political event, rather than just a patriotic event planned for that evening.”
Trump is holding a series of “Save America” rallies, having staged the first one on Saturday in Ohio. If that event is any indication, these rallies will feature Trump playing his greatest hits, including, “Sleepy Joe,” “Lock Her Up!” and “Witch Hunt!”
House Votes To Remove Confederate Statues From Capitol
The House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to remove statues and busts of Confederate leaders, white supremacists and supporters of slavery from the Capitol. Only Republicans voted against the measure, which passed 285 to 120.
Even though opposition to the bill came from within their own party, Republicans took it as an opportunity to attack Democrats in speeches that conveniently skipped over decades of American political history and bashed efforts to educate students about racism.
Tucker Carlson claimed the NSA is spying on him. Even his own colleagues don’t seem to believe it
Fox News host Tucker Carlson made an explosive claim on his show Monday night: That he had learned through a whistleblower that the National Security Agency is spying on him and planning to leak his communications in a bid to take him off the air.
“The Biden administration is spying on us,” Carlson declared to millions of Fox’s viewers. “We have confirmed that.”
But Carlson’s own colleagues don’t appear to be buying what he is selling.
Barring an unusual circumstance, if a reputable news organization had confirmed that the NSA — or any arm of the US government — was spying on one of its top employees, it would be a story of significant consequence.
Condo board president warned of deterioration, need for repairs months before collapse
A letter sent in April to residents of the Miami Beach-area condo that collapsed last week said the building’s “concrete deterioration is accelerating” and warned that damage “would begin to multiply exponentially.”
The letter, sent by Champlain Towers South Board President Jean Wodnicki, explained to residents why a renovation that had originally been estimated to cost about $9 million had jumped to $16 million in about three years.
Engineering consultant Frank Morabito had been hired in 2018 to get a start on a 40-year recertification process, as is required under the Miami-Dade County building code. His report indicated that there was “abundant cracking” and crumbling in the underground parking garage of the 12-story building.
Court says FTC hasn’t provided evidence Facebook is a monopoly, dismisses lawsuit
“It is almost as if the agency expects the Court to simply nod to the conventional wisdom that Facebook is a monopolist,” Boasberg wrote.
Transgender student wins bathroom battle after Supreme Court rejects school board appeal
A transgender man from Virginia has won a years-long legal battle against his former high school over its refusal to let him use boys bathrooms when he was a student.
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday rejected the Gloucester County School Board’s appeal of a lower court decision that found its transgender bathroom ban is unconstitutional.
The decision is a major victory for former student Gavin Grimm and transgender advocates nationwide.
Nancy Pelosi Unveils Legislation Creating Select Committee On U.S. Capitol Riot
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) introduced legislation Monday to establish a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“January 6th was one of the darkest days in our nation’s history. It is imperative that we establish the truth of that day and ensure such an attack cannot again happen,” Pelosi said in a statement. “The Select Committee will investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the attack and report recommendations for preventing any future assault.”
Collapsed Florida building residents told it was safe, despite ‘major structural damage’
Officials assured residents of the Miami Beach-area condo that collapsed last week that their building was safe, despite a report that strongly indicated otherwise, while also disregarding residents’ concerns that nearby construction might compromise the stability of the beachside high-rise.
The revelations come as the official death toll in the collapse climbed to 11 and the number of unaccounted for only fell to 150 on Monday.
Champlain Towers South resident Susana Alvarez repeated to NBC News that Surfside town officials told residents in a 2018 meeting “that the building was not in bad shape.”
Charlie Pierce: This Is the Upside of Merrick Garland’s ‘Institutionalism’
This is the upside of Garland’s “institutionalism” that has driven so many of his progressive supporters so batty. He may believe that the ethics of his job require him to, say, fight the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit, or even defend the previous administration* against any lawsuit emanating from the January 6 insurrection. But he also knows that ensuring the voting rights of minority citizens is the reason we have a Justice Department in the first place, and that the DOJ’s always had obligations in that particular fight, from Reconstruction through Jim Crow to the Civil Rights Movement to our present day, when the work of the past five decades is under revanchist assault from state legislators who simply don’t give a damn about the country’s founding ideals.
Biden seeks to walk back perceived veto threat on bipartisan infrastructure deal
The road to passing the bipartisan infrastructure deal negotiated by senators and agreed to by the White House this week is already proving to be a rough one.
On Saturday, President Joe Biden issued a statement seeking to walk back his perceived ultimatum that his support for the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal was dependent on his American Families Plan also reaching his desk through reconciliation.
“I indicated that I would refuse to sign the infrastructure bill if it was sent to me without my Families Plan and other priorities, including clean energy. That statement understandably upset some Republicans, who do not see the two plans as linked,” Biden said in a lengthy statement.
Surfside building collapse latest: Death toll climbs to 9, more victims identified
The death toll has climbed to nine from the partial collapse of a 12-story condominium building in Surfside, Florida, as a massive search and rescue mission continued into its fourth day on Sunday, officials said.
Four more bodies were recovered overnight from the rubble of the Champlain Towers South condominium that buckled and gave way into a pancaking catastrophe around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday as many residents were asleep, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news conference Sunday morning. More than 150 people remain unaccounted for.
Trump Organization attorneys given Monday deadline to persuade prosecutors not to file charges against it
Earlier this year, Vance convened a grand jury in Manhattan to consider indictments in the investigation. No entity or individual has been charged in the investigations thus far, and it remains possible that no charges will be filed.
U.S. launches airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Syria
U.S. military forces carried out what a Pentagon official called “defensive” airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Sunday against Iran-backed militia groups that were behind drone attacks on American personnel.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement that the airstrikes targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one in Iraq. The facilities were used by at least two militias, Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Kirby said.
Rude Pundit: Manchin and Sinema Made Promises to Their Voters That They Refuse to Keep
After yesterday’s 50-50 vote killing the For the People Act because a Republican filibuster prevented it from even being debated, let alone voted on, I was ready to write another piece raging about feckless Democrats and their inability to get things done, even when they have both houses of Congress and the presidency. But every time I thought it through, I came up against one pretty solid wall built by Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia and their declarations that they will not vote to do away with the filibuster, which will affect every bill from now until Republicans take back over the Senate and almost definitely ditch the filibuster when a Republican is president. Sure, sure, we can say that President Joe Biden could try some kind of LBJ-like threats and/or cajoling to get them to change. But that’s not going to happen. Screaming against that wall is kind of useless.
