August politics

[basilosaurus]

@@@ childhood education

NC Lt. Gov. Robinson: Keep the masses uneducated (my alternative title). This is from an advanced copy of his memoir.

Robinson said he’d work to keep history, science and a number of other subjects out of first through fifth grade curricula and instead prioritize reading, writing and math.

“In those grades, we don’t need to be teaching social studies,” he writes. “We don’t need to be teaching science. We surely don’t need to be talking about equity and social justice.”

Robinson also reaffirms personal views on climate change that became a major issue in the 2020 election. “Guess what? Most of the people of North Carolina know global warming is junk science,” he writes.

www.wral.com/in-memoir-nc-lt-gov-mark-robinson-mulls-2024-run-calls-for-taking-science-history-out-of-elementary-schools/20427624/

[neverfstop]

Federalist Society gets $1.6 BILLION donation...

Democracy is screwed....we've really got to find a way to overturn Citizens United. ANDPLUSALSO tax the shit out of billionaires
www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/us/politics/republican-dark-money.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top

The cash infusion was arranged through an unusual series of transactions that appear to have avoided tax liabilities. It originated with Mr. Seid, a longtime conservative donor who made a fortune as the chairman and chief executive of an electrical device manufacturing company in Chicago now known as Tripp Lite.

Rather than merely giving cash, Mr. Seid donated 100 percent of the shares of Tripp Lite to Mr. Leo’s nonprofit group before the company was sold to an Irish conglomerate for $1.65 billion, according to tax records provided to The New York Times, corporate filings and a person with knowledge of the matter.

The nonprofit, called the Marble Freedom Trust, then received all of the proceeds from the sale, in a transaction that appears to have been structured to allow the nonprofit group and Mr. Seid to avoid paying taxes on the proceeds.

[aurora]

Propublica has a non-paywalled story about the person behind the $1.6B donation, Barre Seid, and how under-the-radar he has managed to fly for most of his life.

www.propublica.org/article/dark-money-leonard-leo-barre-seid

Damn Citizens United.

[pixy0stix]

Marjorie Taylor Greene keeps getting swatted - www.cnn.com/2022/08/24/politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-police-response/index.html

[suburbanzookeeper]

The White House official Twitter account is pushing back on GOP members complaining about student loan debt who collected PPP loans that were forgive. A thread:

[mrsd2006]

Aug 25, 2022 16:42:01 GMT -5 suburbanzookeeper said:

The White House official Twitter account is pushing back on GOP members complaining about student loan debt who collected PPP loans that were forgive. A thread:

This is fantastic. 

[imimahoney]

Aug 25, 2022 16:42:01 GMT -5 suburbanzookeeper said:

The White House official Twitter account is pushing back on GOP members complaining about student loan debt who collected PPP loans that were forgive. A thread:

The new person in charge is a 25 year old from Jersey. She recently ran the NJ state acct and is credited in helping get Murphy reelected. Definitely a strong hire on the admins part.

newjerseyglobe.com/national/megan-coyne-the-voice-of-new-jersey-is-headed-to-the-white-house/

[Velar Fricative]

Aug 24, 2022 9:20:12 GMT -5 aurora said:

Propublica has a non-paywalled story about the person behind the $1.6B donation, Barre Seid, and how under-the-radar he has managed to fly for most of his life.

www.propublica.org/article/dark-money-leonard-leo-barre-seid

Damn Citizens United.

Seriously, this is why we are in this state of politics. Everyone can be bought. And that's not just the GOP either. 

[Jalapeñomel]

The redacted affidavit is to be released:

www.reuters.com/legal/us-justice-dept-gives-judge-redacted-trump-search-affidavit-under-seal-2022-08-25/

[heat40]

The affidavit has been unsealed and Pacer has apparently crashed lol

[wanderingback]

Biden heads to PA to talk about investing billions of dollars in to police forces. Ugh.
What about investing billions in to underlying problems?

www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/us/politics/biden-speech-gun-control-crime.html

[mrsukyankee]

All because we allowed the firms to privitise and the Tories have consistently voted against levying any taxes to help people out (we're going to have a lot of deaths this winter and massive decline in businesses able to remain open because of this and a few other things):


UK Predicts Up to £170 Billion Excess Profits for Energy Firms


(Bloomberg) --



UK gas producers and electricity generators may make excess profits totaling as much as £170 billion ($199 billion) over the next two years, according to Treasury estimates that lay bare the revenue-raising potential of a windfall tax.



Treasury officials will deliver the assessment to the next prime minister when they take office on Sept. 6, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing internal calculations...


With domestic winter energy bills set to rocket to triple the level they were last year, any further tax revenue could help fund a government support package to help struggling Britons. ...


Truss  (the favorite to take over for BJ)has repeatedly said she is opposed to windfall taxes, arguing that they “send the wrong message to investors.” She’s also so far refused to set out how she would help families and businesses struggling with soaring energy costs, arguing that she needs to see figures from the Treasury once she takes office before she can make any final decision.

[timorousbeastie]

“A sweeping voting rights proposal to make changes to Michigan’s elections – including establishing early voting in the state — failed to land a spot on the ballot this fall after the state’s elections panel deadlocked Wednesday on whether to certify the Promote the Vote amendment for the ballot.”

www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2022/08/31/michigan-elections-panel-voting-rights-proposal/65462378007/

It’s my understanding that the election board basically has two jobs to do in regards to ballot initiatives in MI - approve the petition to be circulated, then to certify the signatures collected. Both this ballot initiative and @@@the Reproductive Freedom for All initiative@@@ were approved by the the board, and more than enough verified signatures were collected. Yet the republicans on the board still came up with made up reasons for keeping them both off the ballot. For a party that is supposedly all for letting states decide, they sure do go to extremes when the people of the state actually want to decide.

[underwaterrhymes]

www.axios.com/2022/09/01/democrat-mary-peltola-wins-upset-in-alaska-special-election

Democrat Mary Peltola on Wednesday won the special election to represent Alaska's lone U.S. House seat, per the Alaska Division of Elections.

Why it matters: Peltola's victory is a major upset in a state that voted for former President Trump by 10 points in 2020, and it makes her the first Native Alaskan elected to Congress.

[Velar Fricative]

Aug 31, 2022 19:27:10 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

www.axios.com/2022/09/01/democrat-mary-peltola-wins-upset-in-alaska-special-election

Democrat Mary Peltola on Wednesday won the special election to represent Alaska's lone U.S. House seat, per the Alaska Division of Elections.

Why it matters: Peltola's victory is a major upset in a state that voted for former President Trump by 10 points in 2020, and it makes her the first Native Alaskan elected to Congress.

This is just incredible. I don’t want to read too much into this particular race because there were a lot of unique things happening here, but still, what a win. Hopefully this sets up Peltola well for November too.

[basilosaurus]

Aug 31, 2022 19:53:43 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Aug 31, 2022 19:27:10 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

www.axios.com/2022/09/01/democrat-mary-peltola-wins-upset-in-alaska-special-election

Democrat Mary Peltola on Wednesday won the special election to represent Alaska's lone U.S. House seat, per the Alaska Division of Elections.

Why it matters: Peltola's victory is a major upset in a state that voted for former President Trump by 10 points in 2020, and it makes her the first Native Alaskan elected to Congress.

This is just incredible. I don’t want to read too much into this particular race because there were a lot of unique things happening here, but still, what a win. Hopefully this sets up Peltola well for November too.

And it means Palin lost! I still have a lot of family in ak, and I know they are very excited for this outcome.

[aurora]

Aug 31, 2022 20:46:57 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

Aug 31, 2022 19:53:43 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

This is just incredible. I don’t want to read too much into this particular race because there were a lot of unique things happening here, but still, what a win. Hopefully this sets up Peltola well for November too.

And it means Palin lost! I still have a lot of family in ak, and I know they are very excited for this outcome.

Agrred!

Alaskans tend to be pretty independent, and so many are fed up with Palin's shenanigans. I think it's quite possible Peltola could stay in the seat long term. Not to say she's a shoe-in, but definitely worth fighting for.

[aurora]

Also worth a reminder that this is Alaska's first test with its new ranked-choice voting system. It worked to counter extremism!

[underwaterrhymes]

It’s also really interesting to me that Peltola and Palin evidently became friends when they were both pregnant and neither has criticized each other throughout the campaign. In fact, Palin called Peltola a “sweetheart.”

I wonder if that will change in the mid-terms.