DL Open Thread Tuesday May 2 2023
Biden is in a tough spot. MAGA extremists in Congress don’t want a deal. They want to blow shit up. The debt ceiling is custom made for their brand of terrorism.
Yellen says drop-dead date for debt ceiling is June 1
Lawmakers have until June 1 to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wrote in a letter to congressional leaders on Monday.
Yellen told lawmakers she expects the U.S. to no longer be able to pay all of its outstanding obligations by as early as June 1, ramping up pressure on Congress and the White House to come to an agreement.
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Man dies, woman injured in Rehoboth Beach hotel shooting
A man was found dead and a woman unconscious April 30 in a Rehoboth Beach hotel. Both had gunshot wounds to the head, police say.
Rehoboth Beach police went to a hotel on Christian Street at 12:18 p.m. after receiving a call that there may have been a suicide in one of the rooms, said Lt. Jaime Riddle of the Rehoboth Beach Police Department.
An officer entered the room and found a man, 28, of Coatesville, Pa., and a woman, 23, of Newark; both had been shot in the head. Riddle said the man was dead, and the woman was unconscious but breathing. A loaded 9mm handgun was found in the immediate vicinity of the victims, he said.
The officer immediately began rendering first aid until emergency medical services personnel arrived on scene and assumed care of the patient, Riddle said. The woman was removed from the scene and transported to a local hospital where she remains on life support, he said.
“At this time police are not seeking any additional persons in relation to this investigation, and there are no current threats to public safety,” he said.
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The official economist’s term for the downtown office building market is “good and truly fucked”
A San Francisco office building was worth $300 million before the pandemic. Now, it could sell for only $60 million — a perfect example of why downtowns are in trouble
Some of San Francisco’s office buildings are staying empty as workers continue working from home.A 22-story office tower in San Francisco is expected to sell for around $60 million — 80% less than it was valued at in 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The office tower, which sits at 350 California Street, was previously worth around $300 million during its last sale, office brokers told The Journal. The street runs through San Francisco’s financial district — home to some of its booming tech companies.
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The loneliness of the long distance smoker
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. cigarette smoking dropped to another all-time low last year, with 1 in 9 adults saying they were current smokers, according to government survey data released Thursday. Meanwhile, electronic cigarette use rose, to about 1 in 17 adults.
The preliminary findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are based on survey responses from more than 27,000 adults.
Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, and it’s long been considered the leading cause of preventable death.
I’ve lost count of the number of times the Republicans have played the debt ceiling game, believe it started with the dreaded Newt Gingrich. It always goes to “Brinkmanship” and the Republicans attacking their ancient foes of Social Security and Medicare. Interesting as the geezers are one of their primary voting blocks (This one excepted).
Josh Marshall wrote that he believes that the D’s learned their lesson, and that Biden is determined not to give in like Obama did.
They oughtta be all over media just letting people know how Rethug brinkmanship will hurt every single American. Make them own it.
I want to say “fuck those MAGAt bastard. Let it burn down and let everyone see what Republicans really want.”
But these people are genuinely insane. There is no bluff to call.
Agreed, they are insane to some extent and live in a MAGA dream world of guns n’ gawd. As for the Dem’s learning their lesson on this game don’t bet on it, not with the Coons and Carpers of this world still in place.
As much as I want Trump to go down for something – anything – the Trump defamation trial has adopted the dubious innovation first used against Cosby: allowing testimony about a completely different and unproven accusation that is not at all the question currently before the court:
I’m not lawyer but I think it is allowed because this is a defamation case not a rape case.