DL Open Thread: Sunday, August 28, 2022

Trump Judge Makes New Law To Give Trump ‘Special Master’ To Review Classified Documents.   Pure insanity:

And now the Trump-appointed judge has broken with all legal precedent, and written wholly new law in the process, to give Donald Trump exactly what he wanted—a special master.

Judge Aileen Cannon didn’t stop with saying she intends to appoint a special master, she insists that the federal government provide a more detailed list of the documents taken, a list to be shared with Trump. Only she seems to have missed even more steps than Trump’s attorneys, like even sending the suit to the supposed “defendant,” or giving any reason why her court can intervene in any way.

Ted Cruz: Loan Forgiveness Went To ‘Slacker Baristas’.  Have you ever seen how hard baristas work?  Ain’t no such thing as a slacker barista.  He wouldn’t last 15 minutes behind the counter.

What Manchin Got For His Vote: An Unpopular Pipeline Project:

The deal is a sweet one for the pipeline’s supporters. Democratic leaders agreed to advance separate legislation in September that would “require the relevant agencies to take all necessary actions to permit the construction and operation of the MVP and give the DC circuit jurisdiction over any further litigation.”

This could help the pipeline company circumvent judges who have suspended construction and overturned permits over environmental concerns, and have future legal cases heard in an appeals court in Washington, which is considered more favorable to developers.

It’s part of a broader set of concessions negotiated by Manchin to diminish environmental protections and expedite permits and construction of pipelines and other energy infrastructure, limiting legal challenges by concerned communities and environmental groups.

It also mandates new oil and gas drilling deals in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico—places that environmentalists have also fought in court to preserve. Any public lands given over to solar and wind developments must be accompanied by millions of acres handed to oil and gas—tying the US to planet-heating energy projects for decades.

Tom Carper chairs the Environment And Public Works Committee that will likely consider this legislation.  What will the Doddering Drooler do?

‘Three Dutch Commandos Wounded In Shooting Outside US Hotel’.  That’s a headline you don’t see every day.  Some sort of disagreement. Over the meaning of ‘Dutch treat’, perhaps?  What kind of ‘training exercises’ would Dutch commandos be taking part in in Indianapolis?

DeMatteis Defends Medicare Advantage Plan For Pensioners.  Call me skeptical, but when I read something like this…:

The move to a Medicare Advantage Plan for state pensioners will address Delaware’s $10 billion in unfunded liability, also known as the Other Post-Employment Benefits Liability. With the General Assembly’s agreement to put aside 1% of the prior year’s budget toward an Other Post-Employment Benefits Liability trust fund, Ms. DeMatteis hopes the funding will protect the future of the state’s pensioner health care plan.

Prior to the change in plans, the liability was expected to grow to $31.3 billion by 2050, but with the implementation of Medicare Advantage and yearly allocation to the trust fund, Ms. DeMatteis said the liability could shrink to $3.1 billion by 2050…

…I ask myself, how is that liability gonna shrink without a concurrent reduction in benefits?  That’s a question I can’t answer.  Hopefully, come January, a less, wait for it, somnambulant General Assembly will call for answers.  Meaning no more DeMatteis gobbledygook.

UD Plays ‘Rope-A-Dope’ On Donors, Including Oxymorons From The Sackler Family.  This says it all:

As a partially private university, UD is not legally required to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests. When asked by Delaware Online/The News Journal for a list of top donors after the UDaily article was published, Boyle Tippett simply replied “no.”

The General Assembly could change this.  They never have, although some legislators have tried.  Maybe, come January…

What do you want to talk about?