;)
The Conversation -- January 18, 2024
Jacob Bogage & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "Congress on Thursday passed legislation to keep the federal government open into March, approving the third stopgap spending bill in four months as lawmakers struggle to agree on long-term government funding plans. The bill extends deadlines to March 1 and March 8. Money for roughly 20 percent of the government -- including the Transportation Department, some veterans' assistance and food and drug safety programs -- had been set to expire just after midnight Saturday morning. The remainder -- which funds the Defense and State departments, among other critical functions -- would have expired on Feb. 2 without the new extension. The Senate passed the legislation, 77-18, early Thursday afternoon. The House followed suit, 314-108, hours later, after GOP hard-liners launched a last-minute pressure campaign to attach partisan border security measures to the funding package. The votes send the legislation to President Biden to sign into law and avert a partial shutdown ahead of the deadline." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Maybe you think it's great that Congress didn't wait till tomorrow -- the very last day parts of the government could "stay open" -- to pass the stop-gap legislation. But the reason they didn't wait till the literal eleventh hour: Washington, D.C. weather forecasts suggest bad weather might ground flights, and some members were afraid they couldn't get out of town.
Edgar Sandoval & Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "A Justice Department investigation released on Thursday found that a near-total breakdown in policing protocols hindered the response to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 people dead -- but the gravest error was the reluctance of officials to confront the killer during the first few minutes of the attack. The department blamed 'cascading failures of leadership, decision-making, tactics policy and training' for the delayed and passive law enforcement response that allowed an 18-year-old gunman with a semiautomatic rifle to remain inside a pair of connected fourth grade classrooms at Robb Elementary School for 77 minutes before he was confronted and killed. The 'most significant failure,' investigators concluded, was the fateful decision by local police officials to classify the incident as a barricaded standoff rather than an 'active-shooter' scenario, which would have demanded instant and aggressive action regardless of the danger to those responding or the lack of appropriate weapons to confront the gunman." ~~~
~~~ The AP's report is here. CNN's report is here. Update: CNN has a facsimile of the full DOJ report here.
A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES MUST HAVE FULL IMMUNITY, WITHOUT WHICH IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM/HER TO PROPERLY FUNCTION. -- Donald Trump, in a post Thursday morning
President Biden, invoking full immunity, should immediately order the Army to take Donald Trump into custody, remove him to an undisclosed location (say, Guantanamo) and incarcerate him there for the rest of his natural life, rendering Trump unable to ever assume any political office in which he might enjoy any form of immunity. If questioned about Trump's mysterious disappearance, Biden should respond, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You're welcome. -- Marie
Amy Gardner & Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "A state judge overseeing the election-interference case against ... Donald Trump in Georgia has scheduled a hearing for Feb. 15 to hear evidence regarding accusations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) and her lead prosecutor engaged in an improper relationship and mishandled public money. Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee also wrote in his order that Willis must respond to the accusations in writing by Feb. 2. The accusations first came to light in a filing from one of Trump's co-defendants, former campaign aide Mike Roman. The order, which is not yet on the case docket, was obtained by The Washington Post." At 1:15 pm ET, this is a developing story.
Marcy Wheeler writes that Trump's bad behavior in court is a pre-planned attack on the rule of law and that Trump is willing to pay millions extra in damages and/or face contempt-of-court charges to advance his plan. ~~~
~~~ Marie: While I agree with Wheeler's general point, she faults the media for "serially fall[ing] into Donald Trump's trap of reporting on his courtroom tantrums rather than the evidence of his fraud and crime presented therein." I don't totally disagree with her here, either, but I do think it's important to showcase Trump's lack of self-control. Everyone (except Nikki Haley -- see Mediaite item linked below) knows that Trump has already been found liable for raping & defaming E. Jeanne Carroll, for instance. The public's interest in the extent of the damages she deserves is more limited, I think, than the public's interest in Trump's conduct. We cannot do anything about how much a jury awards Carroll, but we can do something about Trump; i.e., deprive him of regaining the presidency* & wriggling out of every civil and criminal action against him.
Florida. Brendan Farrington of the AP: "A bill advanced by Florida Republicans on Wednesday would ban teachers and other government employees from displaying a rainbow flag -- even wearing one as a lapel pin for a day -- but they could hang the full-size flag of any 'recognized nation' as long as they want, according to the bill's sponsor. Flag displays that depict a 'racial, sexual orientation and gender, or political ideology viewpoint' would be banned from any state or local government building, including public schools and universities, under the bill authored by GOP Rep. David Borrero.... The ban wouldn't apply to students, or to government employees when they're not at work or in public buildings, Borrero said." Thanks to Forrest M. for the link. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Obviously, this is a homophobic, racist bill. Borrero seems to have tried to stay within First Amendment bounds, but if it becomes law, attempts to enforce it may prove otherwise, particularly since race & sexual orientation are protected categories and gender is, well, gender. If a teacher wears a necklace with an "XX" pendant, isn't she breaking Borrero's proposed law? On the other hand, if Borrero is just trying to call attention to what a jerk he is, well, mission accomplished.
Missouri. Kate Zernike of the New York Times: "A coalition of reproductive-rights groups in Missouri kicked off a campaign on Thursday to establish a right to abortion in the state constitution, setting up the nation's next big test of public support for legalized abortion. Missouri was the first state to officially outlaw abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade 18 months ago. A successful ballot measure there could make it the first state where a citizen-led initiative reverses a near-total ban. Abortion-rights supporters have prevailed on all seven ballot measures put before voters since Roe was overturned, and groups in roughly 10 other states are attempting to pass similar abortion-rights measures this year. In Missouri, though, they face a tight timeline, fierce opposition from the Republicans who control state government, and a long tradition of anti-abortion politics."
Samantha Waldenberg & Michael Williams of CNN: "White House chief of staff Jeff Zients called Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday morning to apologize for a statement issued by the Democratic National Committee's press secretary that mocked Hutchinson's withdrawal from the presidential race. The statement came after the former Arkansas governor dropped out of the 2024 presidential race following his sixth-place finish in the Iowa Republican caucuses. It read: 'This news comes as a shock to those of us who could've sworn he had already dropped out.' President Joe Biden has a 'deep respect' for Hutchinson, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during Wednesday's press briefing, 'and admires the race that he ran.' 'This morning, the chief of staff here, Jeff Zients, called the governor to convey this and apologized for the statement that did not that did not represent the president's views,' she said. Hours after the call, Hutchinson told CNN that while he didn't 'pay much attention' to the DNC's statement, he appreciated Zients reaching out to him." ~~~
~~~ Marie: So we could choose a second term for a classy president or for a president* who constantly denigrates his opponents & others.
~~~~~~~~~~
Karoun Demirjian & Erica Green of the New York Times: "Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday dug in against President Biden's efforts to revive stalled legislation to send aid to Ukraine, saying the Republican-led House would not entertain it unless Democrats agreed to a far more severe crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border than they have been willing to consider. Mr. Johnson's latest ultimatum cast further doubt on the prospects of Congress's approving Mr. Biden's request for tens of billions of dollars in emergency security assistance to help Ukraine fight off Russia. Republicans have insisted that such a package be paired with measures to clamp down on migration at the southwestern border, and a bipartisan group of senators has made considerable progress on striking a compromise to do so. But the plan has no path to enactment if the House, where a sizable far-right contingent is pressing for even tougher immigration policies, refuses to accept it." ~~~
~~~ Sahil Kapur & Syedah Asghar of NBC News: "Leading Senate Republicans are warning their House colleagues not to play political games with the current immigration negotiations because they won't get a better deal down the road under a potential second Donald Trump presidency. 'To those who think that if President Trump wins, which I hope he does, that we can get a better deal -- you won't,' Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters Wednesday. 'You got to get 60 votes in the United States Senate.'... Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., echoed Graham's view.... 'We have a unique opportunity here. And the timing is right to do this.'" MB: This is pretty pathetic, inasmuch as everybody knows reality is never a consideration in House GOP decision-making. (And it's not much of a consideration in the Senate GOP, either.)
Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Representative Dan Goldman, Democrat of New York, on Wednesday announced he would file a formal censure of Representative Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York, accusing her of peddling voter fraud conspiracy theories that fueled the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol and supporting rioters who violently threatened members of Congress, referring to them as 'hostages.'" The Hill's story is here.
Donnie Misbehaves in Court. So Does His Lawyer. Maria Cramer of the New York Times: As journalist E. Jeanne Carroll testified during her second defamation case against Donald Trump, "Mr. Trump repeatedly shook his head and exhaled loudly, appearing to scoff as Ms. Carroll testified.... Mr. Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, interrupted Ms. Carroll's testimony several times with objections that were frequently overruled by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan.... Mr. Trump was expressive throughout the morning, showing impatience and anger as Ms. Habba and Judge Kaplan sparred, particularly over the judge's refusal to adjourn the trial on Thursday for the funeral of Mr. Trump's mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs.... (Mr. Trump attended jury selection on Tuesday but missed opening statements after, when he left for a rally in New Hampshire.) Mr. Trump slammed the defense table when the judge announced his decision. 'Man,' he said, then whispered angrily to Ms. Habba. Ms. Carroll's lawyer, Shawn Crowley, told Judge Kaplan that Mr. Trump was making audible statements from the defense table intended to undermine the testimony. She said she heard Mr. Trump mutter 'she has gotten her memory back' during Ms. Carroll's testimony." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: The linked page was a liveblog of presidential candidacy stuff, then it wasn't, now (1:00 am Thursday) it is again. Somewhere in there is some version of the narrative above. The main story has now been incorporated into yet another story, with Benjamin Weiser as the lead reporter. The NYT is definitely a dynamic newspaper. ~~~
~~~ Update. Ben Feuerherd of the Messenger: "The federal judge presiding over Donald Trump's defamation trial on Wednesday warned the former president that he has the right to throw him out of the courtroom if he continues making audible statements during the proceedings. 'Mr. Trump has the right to be present here. That right can be forfeited and it can be forfeited if he is disruptive,' U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan told the former president before the trial broke for lunch Wednesday. 'Mr. Trump, I hope I don't have to consider excluding you from the trial. I understand you are probably very eager for me to do that,' Kaplan said. 'I would love it. I would love it,' Trump responded and waved his hands. 'I know you would because you just can't control yourself in this circumstance,' Kaplan responded. 'You can't either,' Trump responded." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Chris Hayes theorized last night that Trump followers admire his lawless behavior because they fantasize that they themselves had the power to get away with it. I expect he's right because Trump's courtroom behavior mirrors that of the criminal characters in the police procedurals I watch. Just like Trump, when the cops call them in for questioning, the petty thugs show a low level of self-control, mouth off, act out, squirm in their seats, play the victim, lie, claim police abuse, and generally say stupid stuff. These characters are supposed to be drug dealers & murderers; the rich characters clam up and ask for their lawyers. I suppose if a judge had shackled me, I would want to tell him off, too. But if I did it, it would be with some bon mot I thought clever, not with that "I know you are but what am I?" schoolyard retort that is the best Trump can do. He's just a stupid thug. ~~~
~~~ Oh, make that a stupid thug with some kind of mysterious disease. Thanks to Forrest M. for the link. See also discussion near the end of yesterday's Comments thread.
House GOP Goes After Cassidy Hutchinson. Steve Benen of MSNBC (Jan. 15): "Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk [Ga.], in his capacity as the chair of the House Administration's subcommittee on oversight" is leading an 'investigation' into "what really happened" in the January 6 insurrection. Loudermilk "faced some awkward questions about a controversial Capitol tour the day before the riot. After launching his own Jan. 6 probe, among the Georgia Republican's first steps was exonerating himself. Nearly a year later, he's apparently still at it.... [According to] this press statement last week [by Loudermilk's committee]: 'Committee on House Administration's Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) today sent a letter to former January 6 Select Committee's star witness Cassidy Hutchinson, instructing her to preserve and produce all records and materials in her possession related to the events of January 6, 2021.'" MB: They have no shame.
Florida Man. Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: Kenneth Bonawitz, a member of the Proud Boys, "ultimately assaulted six officers [during the January 6 insurrection] before retreating after being hit with chemical spray. Prosecutors called him 'one of the most violent Jan. 6 rioters' and said his attacks 'were barbaric and left his victims with lasting physical, emotional and psychological injuries.'... [Judge Jia] Cobb imposed a sentence of five years.... She addressed the view held by some that defendants such as Bonawitz are political prisoners. 'I don't care about your political beliefs,' the judge said. 'It's your actions that you're facing sentencing for.'"MB: Bonawitz lives in Pompano Beach, Florida, though it looks like he will have a new residence now in some federal pen. Unlike his hero, he appears to have behaved himself in court. Even the Wild Man of Pompano seems to have more self-control than Donald Trump.
Presidential Race
Marie: In case you think maybe Nikki Haley wouldn't be such a bad president*, watch the video embedded in this story: ~~~
~~~ Alex Griffing of Mediaite: During an interview, CNN's Dana Bash said to Haley that Donald Trump was "in a courthouse in New York.... He actually chose to be there. He's already been found liable for defaming E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of raping her 30 years ago. A jury found him liable for sexual abuse.... You're the only woman in this race. How do you feel about your party's frontrunner being held liable for sexual abuse?" Haley's response: "I mean, first of all, I haven't paid attention to his cases. And I'm not a lawyer. All I know is that he's innocent until proven guilty. And when he's proven guilty and he's sitting in a courtroom, that's exactly what I'm talking about. You've got investigations on Trump and Biden.... If he's found guilty, then he needs to pay the price. He needs to do what he's supposed to. Every one of these cases, they need to be heard out. He needs to defend himself.... If he's not found guilty, then we move forward. What I will tell you is I'm focused on the economy, the border and education and getting our country back on track." ~~~
~~~ Bash's question is fair and timely. She asks it during a scheduled interview, so this isn't any sort of ambush. Any Haley's answer to her political rival's unconscionable behavior is that she's not a lawyer and if he's found guilty, blah-blah, after Bash has specified -- twice -- that Trump has been found liable for raping and defaming a woman. Haley also is not a nuclear physicist. Should she be given the nuclear codes? I find Haley's non-answer here as disqualifying as her not-slavery answer, which at least could be characterized as a response to a surprise question.
Shane Goldmacher, et al., of the New York Times: "Straining to recover after a bruising defeat in Iowa,Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and his allies moved on Wednesday to shake up his operation yet again, with his super PAC carrying out layoffs and the campaign signaling that it would largely bypass New Hampshire's primary election next week in favor of competing in South Carolina. The change in strategy appeared to set up the one-on-one contest in New Hampshire that Nikki Haley has been hoping for against ... Donald J. Trump, who leads in polls but is more vulnerable in the moderate state than in socially conservative Iowa. At the same time, the shift could put new pressure on Ms. Haley in South Carolina, where she once served as governor." The headline describes DeSantis as "desperate."
Jenna Russell of the New York Times: "A Maine judge ordered the state's top election official on Wednesday to wait for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling before putting into effect her decision to exclude ... Donald J. Trump from Maine's Republican primary ballot. Justice Michaela Murphy of Maine Superior Court said in the ruling that the official, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, had been forced under Maine law to issue her decision quickly, without the benefit of the high court's input. The Supreme Court has agreed to review, at Mr. Trump's request, an earlier decision by a Colorado court to exclude him from the ballot, and is expected to hear arguments in the case on Feb. 8. Ms. Bellows had cited the Colorado court's reasoning in her decision."
** Very Fishy, Ctd. Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Members of the Supreme Court's conservative majority seemed inclined on Wednesday to limit or even overturn a key precedent that has empowered executive agencies, threatening regulations in countless areas, including the environment, health care and consumer safety. Each side warned of devastating consequences should it lose, underscoring how the court's decision in a highly technical case could reverberate across wide swaths of American life."
~~~ Marie: I predict that when I am dead and gone, historians & experts in the judiciary will label the Roberts-Thomas court the worst Supreme Court since the Taney court of Dred Scott infamy. So in the meantime, let me just say that this is the worst damned court since the Taney court. ~~~
~~~ Ian Millhiser of Vox: "Four justices..., Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh..., appeared absolutely determined, on Wednesday, to overrule one of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions in the Court's entire history." But, as Millhiser's headline indicates, "John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett are unsure if they should be in charge of everything." "So the bottom line is that, if you are a gambler, you should bet on Chevron being overruled. But there is an off chance that Roberts and Barrett will decide not to make one of the biggest power shifts to an unelected branch of government in American history."
Judd Legum of Popular Information has more on David Smith, who purchased the Baltimore Sun, and whom Legum describes as "a wealthy conservative businessman with a history of using local media outlets to push an ideological agenda." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Ignorant and Proud of It. Elahe Izadi & Laura Wagner of the Washington Post: After admitting he had not read the Baltimore Sun in 40 years, David "Smith seemed to have strong opinions -- negative ones -- about the Sun and the fleet of suburban papers he purchased alongside it, which he laid out in a tense, 2½-hour meeting that left many staffers baffled about the multimillionaire's intentions for the city's 186-year-old newspaper.... 'We don't know how to reason with him,' one Sun staffer told The Post after the meeting.... 'Because he is so uninformed about print media standards and journalism ethics as a whole.'... Tax forms show that his family's foundation has contributed generously to conservative and right-wing advocacy groups that have inserted themselves into some of the nation's most polarizing discussions. The ... foundation gave $275,000 in 2021 and $261,000 in 2019 to Project Veritas, a right-wing organization known for undercover sting operations.... It also contributed $121,000 in 2018 to Moms for America, a conservative activist group that ... has joined campaigns to remove books it finds controversial from public schools." The Baltimore Banner's story is here.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. Guardian: "Arnold Schwarzenegger was briefly detained by customs officers at Munich airport on Wednesday after allegedly failing to declare a €26,000 (£22,000) Audemars Piguet watch the Terminator star was planning to sell at an auction in aid of his climate crisis charity.... Schwarzenegger was taken aside by officers who searched his luggage and found the watch, which the actor had allegedly not declared on his arrivals customs form. A spokesperson for the main customs office in Munich said: 'We have initiated criminal tax proceedings. The watch should have been registered because it is an import.' Schwarzenegger said he tried to tell officials that the watch was being donated to his Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, and is due to be auctioned off at an event in the Austrian ski resort of Kitzbühel on Thursday night.... Officials charged Schwarzenegger €35,000, including €4,000 in tax and a €5,000 penalty, according to Bild. The actor is said to have offered to pay the charge with his credit card, but German customs rules require half of the charge to be paid in cash. Customs officials are said to have accompanied Schwarzenegger to a bank to withdraw cash, before he was allowed to continue his journey." (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~~~~~~~~
Florida. Michelle Garcia of NBC News: "Florida's Board of Education announced a new rule Wednesday that bars public colleges from using state and federal funds for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, activities and policies. The rule, which applies to the 28 schools within the Florida College System, 'will ensure that taxpayer funds can no longer be used to promote DEI on Florida's 28 state college campuses,' the board wrote in a statement.... The board also announced that colleges will replace the course 'Principles of Sociology' with a general education American history course, claiming the former curriculum exposed students to 'radical woke ideologies.'" MB: Hack GOP politicians are remarkably enamored of infringing on academic freedom.
Texas. Julia Ainsley & Zoe Richards of NBC News: "Texas is refusing to comply with a cease-and-desist letter from the Biden administration over actions by the state that have impeded U.S. Border Patrol agents from accessing part of the border with Mexico. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton rejected the Biden administration's request for the state to 'cease and desist' its takeover of Shelby Park, an epicenter of southwest border illegal immigration in Eagle Pass.... DHS officials said Saturday that a woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande after Border Patrol agents 'were physically barred by Texas officials from entering the area' under orders from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott." ~~~
~~~ AP: "A federal appeals court on Wednesday reversed an order requiring Texas to move a floating barrier on the Rio Grande that drew backlash from Mexico -- the latest development in legal battles between the Biden administration and Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over control of migration at the border. In December, a divided panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had sided with a federal district judge in Texas who said the buoys must be moved. On Wednesday, the court vacated the panel's 2-1 ruling after a majority of its 17 active judges voted to rehear the case."
~~~~~~~~~~
Israel/Palestine, etc. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Thursday are here: "Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes inside Iran early Thursday local time, its Foreign Ministry said, in the latest escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The attack in Iran's Baluchistan region came two days after Iran struck targets inside Pakistan. The U.S. Navy launched a new wave of strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen, targeting about a dozen sites, U.S. officials said late Wednesday.... Gaza remained under a telecommunications blackout on Wednesday night after a fifth day with almost no internet or phone access, according to the watchdog NetBlocks. The blackout 'prevents people in Gaza from accessing lifesaving information or calling for first responders, and impedes other forms of humanitarian response,' the U.N. humanitarian affairs office said." ~~~
~~~ CNN's live updates for Thursday are here. The New York Times' live updates are here.
U.K. Mark Landler of the New York Times: "Two of the most senior members of Britain's royal family have been hit by health concerns, with Catherine, the Princess of Wales and the wife of Prince William, undergoing abdominal surgery in London on Tuesday, while King Charles III will receive treatment for an enlarged prostate next week. Catherine will be hospitalized for 10 to 14 days, according to the couple's office in Kensington Palace, and will convalesce for two to three months after that. The king's recovery is expected to be swifter, according to Buckingham Palace, which described his treatment as a 'corrective procedure' for a common, benign condition. Kensington Palace did not offer details on Catherine's diagnosis or prognosis, other than to say that the surgery had been planned and was successful, and that her condition was 'not cancerous.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
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Reader Comments (10)
Important new GOP legislation in Floriduh. No, it's not working on
climate change, or feeding the children, or tax relief for the poor, etc.
It's NO rainbow flags, or even rainbow pins worn, in government
buildings or schools.
Flags of other countries are A.O.K. though (Russia, China?)
I'll bet that it's still O.K. to wear those crosses around the neck though,
like good little Christians.
Will those new rainbow colored fish crackers also be banned?
https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-desantis-florida-government-
cb504dfe7d344dfb0bc9a54cfc157b4b
The best explanation that I've read on the intertubes for trump's
hands: "He's been caught red-handed."
When I read the exchange between the Pretender and the judge, I imagined the judge responding with a "neener, neener" and laughing loudly at the FF.
But for all the rational reasons we know, such was not to be.
The "Fish Case" at SCOTUS is nominally about whether the Commerce Department can require fishers to pay for required catch monitors. But, Charlie Savage NYT has an excellent article explaining the big issue, in which businesses seek to overturn the ability of federal agencies to make and enforce regulations that implement laws. This long-term effort is part of conservatives' very long term efforts to dismantle New Deal social benefit programs, which include health, safety, environmental regulations that effect business profit margins.
"Chevron Deference" is longstanding precedent that says that courts should defer to agencies' authority to create reasonable regulations to implement laws. The conservative legal movement dearly wishes to eliminate it, and allow courts to exercise their own independent judgment rather than defer to the expertise of agencies, in deciding suits against regulators.
In the government management business, such a tactic is referred to as taking an issue "to the highest level of ignorance." When someone subject to regulation can get their issue decided by someone who is not knowledgeable or skilled in the regulation or the subject matter, a specious claim goes from "zero chance" to at least "50-50 or better" . And, if you can get the issue decided by a friend (Amarillo docket?), you can be assured of success -- which would be prevented by Chevron Deference.
This is huge, one more big item in which this SCOTUS could create a major change in everybody's life, in virtually all aspects of a regulated society. Pretty soon, if we're not careful, we will be like Russia, where your rights and protections depend on who you know and who you bribe.
Patrick,
Precisely. In the wild west landscape of unfettered capitalism that these clowns seem to want, it's all about who has the most power, that is the most money.
And as you say, Russia provides their template.
Something else the Right--that wants what it wants, now-- has not thought through.
The donald's latest speech (rant?):
"But we're also going to place strong protections to stop banks and
regulators from trying to de-bank you. From your--you know, your
political beliefs, what they do.
They want to de-bank you, and we're going to de-bank-think of this.
They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your
country.
The things they're doing, all-electric cars, give me a break."
https://www.meidastouch.com/news/confused-trump-appears-disoriented-during-speech
DeSantis says a candidate who loses their own state should drop out of the race. While this is obviously aimed at Nikkie, he's given himself a two month lease on life. Florida's MAGA primary is on 19 March.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/01/18/government-shutdown-bill-senate-house/
It appear Bible Mike allowed Dems to vote.
Marie wrote: “But the reason they didn't wait till the literal eleventh hour: Washington, D.C. weather forecasts suggest bad weather might ground flights, and some members were afraid they couldn't get out of town.”
So, two important things here.
First, “Fuck what’s best for the nation. I’m only concerned with what’s good for me.”
Second, an ancillary concern: “I may screech MAGA demands, but when it comes down to MAGA versus my getting home and doing what I want, I pick me.” In other words, they’ll bully-bully the MAGA line, but only until it interferes with their own desires and needs.
How does such incontrovertible evidence of selfishness square with stentorian public assertions of loyalty to Trumpism?
Answer: it doesn’t. Trumpy authoritarianism is seen as a wonderful way to get what they want, but such obvious Fecklessness demonstrates what a fucking scam this all is. They all talk the talk but if walking the walk becomes too annoying…let’s blame Biden!!
Re AK's remarks on the fabulous mind-set of the Horror Carcass (yeah, can't let that go...after all, it had only occurred to me the other day--): I so agree. They already are stretching their work "weeks" to say they work Tuesday through Thursday, and that means they are in competition with PA's full-time lege... The House decided to not meet until March cuz someone is (maybe) fixing a roof leak over their chamber. I guess it was too much to consider alternate meeting sites. And this is a body currently headed by a Democratic woman from Philly. There seem to be scarce legislators/statesmen or -women, on any level or location, with a work ethic. Bye bye, people who accept their salaries and perks with enthusiasm but are smugly, simply in it for themselves only. Yeah, I am disgusted. Vote 'em all out.