They Still Haven’t Found The Mass Shooter? No mask. Apparently no body armor. Figured when I went to sleep that he wasn’t long for this world. Figured wrong. Reportedly a trained military armed instructor who’s been having mental health issues. Why shouldn’t he have a weapon of mass destruction? Or, more likely, weapons?
The Speaker Nobody Knows. Was kinda hoping for a Putney Swope outcome. Instead, we got the guy with the fewest enemies:
Mr. Johnson, the evangelical Christian who won the speakership on Wednesday with the unanimous support of House Republicans, has also spoken out sharply against homosexuality, calling it “inherently unnatural” and a “dangerous lifestyle” and linking it to bestiality, according to opinion essays unearthed on Wednesday by CNN.
“Experts project that homosexual marriage is the dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy that could doom even the strongest republic,” he wrote in one such article in 2004.
The views are sharply at odds with those of most Americans, according to opinion polls that have found the public is broadly supportive of gay rights. Mr. Johnson’s abrupt rise to the speaker post this week in the depressed and divided House Republican conference underscores the rightward lurch of the G.O.P., which dumped his more mainstream predecessor, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California.
“If you don’t think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows the ascendance of this movement and where the power in the Republican Party truly lies, then you’re not paying attention,” Representative Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican who engineered Mr. McCarthy’s downfall, said in an interview on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast.
Yep, that’s mainstream in today’s Rethuglican Party.
‘Not Credible’. Judge to Trump:
Donald Trump has been fined $10,000 by a New York judge after appearing to reference a court clerk, in violation of a gag order.
“As the trier of fact, I find that the witness is not credible,” Judge Arthur Engoron said after hearing from the former president under oath.
Engoron held a surprise hearing over comments Trump made outside the courtroom earlier Wednesday that could have been referring to a court clerk and therefore violating a gag order.
Pennsylvania Water Contaminated By Fracking? Looks that way. 80,000 tons of toxic chemicals. None of which had to be reported publicly because–corruption:
Oil and gas producers in Pennsylvania used some 160 million pounds of chemicals that they are not required by law to publicly identify in more than 5,000 gas wells between 2012 and 2022, according to research published on Tuesday.
The chemicals may have included per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a toxic and pervasive class of chemicals, according to the report from Physicians for Social Responsibility, an activist group that last week co-published a new compilation of studies on the harms of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas.
The industry is required to disclose the chemicals to state regulators in the database FracFocus. But operators are allowed by state law to keep from publicly disclosing them if doing so would put their operations at a competitive disadvantage.
Only fair, right?
How Koch Network ‘Gets The Right Cases To The Supreme Court’:
The Koch network, a web of rightwing groups cultivated by billionaire businessman Charles Koch and his late brother David Koch, is spearheading the attack on federal agencies and government regulations that dominates the US supreme court agenda this term.
The network has been working behind the scenes to bring cases before the court that, if successful, could undermine many of the core functionings of the US government. At least two of the biggest cases to be considered by the justices this term have been spurred by groups bankrolled and coordinated within the Koch universe.
Footage of an internal panel discussion between senior operatives from Koch entities held in the summer of 2022 reveals that the network has been quietly planning the current assault on the “administrative state”. The groups are seeking to exploit the supreme court’s new six-to-three rightwing majority secured by Donald Trump to dismantle vital executive powers.
Regulatory controls in their sights include environmental standards to combat pollution and the climate crisis, consumer protections against predatory lenders, and safeguards for workers’ rights. At stake is what the Strict Scrutiny podcast has called “the future of government as we know it”.
ACLU Vs. Mayor Mike. The issue? Harassment of Black citizens:
The federal case was filed on behalf of two people and for the NAACP Delaware State Conference of Branches. The ACLU said the practices in question were carried out by the “Operation Safe Streets” program, a partnership with the Delaware Department of Corrections. The case alleges that the program has not made Wilmington safer, but has largely been used as a tool to “harass and terrorize Black communities in Wilmington” by circumventing people’s rights.
Further, the ACLU alleged that the Wilmington Police Department “failed to monitor these officers and discipline those who engage in unconstitutional conduct. The department has also failed to record and preserve information related to this misconduct.”“The absolute lack of oversight combined with a blatant disregard for the rights and well-being of the public is shameful,” ACLU-DE Legal Director Dwayne Bensing said. “This kind of policing isn’t providing protection or public safety—it’s an abuse of power that needs to be stopped.”Mayor Mike Purzycki’s office issued this statement on his behalf:“The claims made by the ACLU are offensive to me. The Wilmington Police department makes it a practice to treat every person equally and with the utmost respect even under the very difficult circumstances they face each day as they serve and protect the community. The City does not engage in, promote, or tolerate any policies, practices or customs that discriminate against any group or violate anyone’s rights. We will vigorously defend against this suit in court.”
‘Some’, including me, would argue that Purzycki’s reign as Mayor has been offensive as his sole interest has been gentrification at any cost, especially to residents Purzycki deems undesirable. And/or disposable. He and the Chamber now want to turn this project over to John Carney. C’mon, somebody needs to step up.
What do you want to talk about?