USA News and Discussions

weatheriscool
Posts: 12962
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: USA News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Schumer says prepared to keep lawmakers in Washington for as long as it takes to complete votes on infrastructure and budget blueprint

Published: July 31, 2021 at 4:08 p.m. ET

The Senate convened for a rare weekend session on Saturday, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer encouraging the authors of a bipartisan infrastructure plan to finish writing their bill so that senators can begin offering amendments.

Several senators had predicted that the text of the bill would be ready for review late Friday or early Saturday, but it was not done when the Senate opened for business late in the morning.

Schumer said he understood that completing the writing of such a large bill is a difficult project, but he warned that he was prepared to keep lawmakers in Washington for as long as it took to complete votes on both the bipartisan infrastructure plan and a budget blueprint that would allow the Senate to begin work later this year on a massive, $3.5 trillion social, health and environmental bill.

“The longer it takes to finish, the longer we will be here, but we’re going to get the job done,” Schumer said.
Read more: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/schum ... re_twitter
weatheriscool
Posts: 12962
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: USA News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Report finds Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and retaliated against one for going public.
Source: New York Times


Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, including current and former government workers, and retaliated against at least one of the women for making her complaints public, according to a much anticipated report from the New York State attorney general released on Tuesday.

The 165-page report said that Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, and his aides cultivated a toxic work environment in his office that was rife with fear and intimidation, and helped enable “harassment to occur and created a hostile work environment.”

The findings of the report could fuel support for impeachment proceedings against Mr. Cuomo in the State Legislature, which Democrats overwhelmingly control, lead to additional calls for his resignation and influence public opinion as he considers running for a fourth term. Outside lawyers hired by the Assembly’s judiciary committee are currently looking at not only the sexual harassment claims, but a series of scandals with a common theme: whether or not Mr. Cuomo abused his power while in office.

The investigation was conducted by two outside lawyers hired by Letitia James, the state attorney general: Joon H. Kim, a former top federal prosecutor, and Anne L. Clark, a well-known employment lawyer.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/08/03 ... ing-public

:oops:
weatheriscool
Posts: 12962
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: USA News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

President Biden calls on Cuomo to resign.
Source: NYT
President Biden called on Tuesday for the resignation of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York after the state's attorney general found that Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, had sexually harassed multiple women.

Mr. Biden said, bluntly, "yes," when asked at the White House if Mr. Cuomo should leave office, but stopped short of calling for him to be removed if he refuses to resign: "Let's take one thing at a time."

Mr. Cuomo, who is facing a criminal investigation by the Albany County prosecutor, has vowed to stay in office, calling the report biased and saying the "facts are much different from what has been portrayed."

Mr. Biden, a longtime friend of Mr. Cuomo's, had initially avoided addressing the accusations, and at first seemed content to stay on the sidelines of a growing rift between the Democratic Party and the increasingly isolated New York governor. Mr. Biden said that he had not spoken to Mr. Cuomo and that he had not read the full report on the harassment accusations: "All I know is the end result," he said.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/nyre ... cuomo.html
weatheriscool
Posts: 12962
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: USA News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Biden to issue targeted eviction moratorium
Source: The Hill

President Biden will announce Tuesday a targeted eviction moratorium after a wide-ranging federal ban expired over the weekend, a source familiar with the plans confirmed to The Hill.

The new guidance from the White House will ban evictions in counties with high rates of COVID-19 transmission, the source said, aligning with areas where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends even vaccinated residents wear masks while indoors.

The new moratorium was expected to be publicly released Tuesday afternoon.

The move comes after days of outcry from Democrats over the lapsed moratorium, which had been in place since the early months of the pandemic. The White House had insisted Monday its hands were tied and only Congress could pass an extension, but Democratic leaders said the Biden administration was in a position to act.



Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administra ... moratorium
weatheriscool
Posts: 12962
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: USA News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

CDC issues new eviction ban for most of US through Oct. 3
Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new eviction moratorium that would last until October 3, as the Biden administration sought to quell intensifying criticism from progressives that it was allowing vulnerable renters to lose their homes during a pandemic. The ban announced Tuesday could help keep millions in their homes as the coronavirus’ delta variant has spread and states have been slow to release federal rental aid.

It would temporarily halt evictions in counties with “substantial and high levels” of virus transmissions and would cover areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives. The announcement was a reversal for the Biden administration, which allowed an earlier moratorium to lapse over the weekend after saying a Supreme Court ruling prevented an extension. That ripped open a dramatic split between the White House and progressive Democrats who insisted the administration do more to prevent some 3.6 million Americans from losing their homes during the COVID-19 crisis.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Biden said he pushed the CDC to again consider its options. But he still seemed hesitant as to whether the new moratorium could withstand lawsuits about its constitutionality, saying he has sought the opinions of experts as to whether the Supreme Court would approve the measure. “The bulk of the constitutional scholarship says that it’s not likely to pass constitutional muster,” Biden said. “But there are several key scholars who think that it may and it’s worth the effort.”

The president added that the moratorium — even if it gets challenged in court — “will probably give some additional time” for states and city to release billions of dollars in federal relief to renters. Politically, the extension could help heal a rift with liberal Democratic lawmakers who were calling on the president to take executive action to keep renters in their homes. The administration had spent the past several days scrambling to reassure Democrats and the country that it could find a way to limit the damage from potential evictions through the use of federal aid.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-bu ... a074cc5ca3
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: USA News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

Progressives Run the Table on Regulatory Posts
by Robert Kuttner
August 6, 2021

http://americanprospect.activehosted.co ... 08d315cf0c

Introduction:
(American Prospect) I’ve covered lots of administrations, focusing on the regulation of capitalism. And I’ve never seen anything remotely like this.

Start with the resurrection of antitrust, left for dead after Robert Bork got through with it in the Reagan era. The incomparable Lina Khan heads the FTC, and another stalwart, Jonathan Kanter, will be assistant attorney general for antitrust.

Khan, while still in her 20s, wrote the authoritative law journal article on how antitrust could be applied to the big platform monopolies. And Kanter is the lawyer you retain when your company is being savaged by one the monopolies Khan describes. It doesn’t get any better.

Meanwhile, Tim Wu, one of the smartest big-picture competition policy people in the world, coordinates this stuff at the White House, while Bharat Ramamurti, former chief economic adviser to Elizabeth Warren, handles it at the National Economic Council. There has been nothing like this since the Roosevelt era.

The news is equally good on the financial regulation front, where one top job after another has gone to progressives. The latest two such posts about to be filled are Graham Steele to be assistant secretary of the treasury for financial institutions, and Saule Omarova to be comptroller of the currency, the key regulator of national banks.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: USA News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

Capitol Rioter Who Punched Officer in the Face Pleads Guilty to Assault
by Samantha Hawkins
August 6, 2021

https://www.courthousenews.com/capitol- ... o-assault/

Introduction:
WASHINGTON (Courthouse News) — Capitol rioter Scott Kevin Fairlamb pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer Friday, the first person to admit guilt out of over 100 rioters accused of attacking law enforcement at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Fairlamb, 44, accepted a plea deal from prosecutors to be sentenced to 41 to 51 months in prison, for two counts that carry a maximum of 28 years in prison: assaulting law enforcement and obstructing an official proceeding. He also agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution and go through an FBI interview.

He had previously been indicted on 12 counts.

Although Senior U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth isn’t bound by the agreement, the deal could set a benchmark for how future Capitol riot defendants with assault charges are treated, as over 140 who allegedly assaulted law enforcement have yet to be sentenced.

Fairlamb, a New Jersey gym owner and mixed martial artist, was caught on video yelling aggressively at law enforcement, at one point shouting, “Are you an American? Act like it!” The video also shows Fairlamb, wearing a camouflage jacket and beanie, shove a random police officer and punch him in the face.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
Posts: 12962
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: USA News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Senate's key vote advances Biden's $1T infrastructure bill
Source: AP

By LISA MASCARO

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate moved closer to passing a $1 trillion infrastructure package Saturday after lawmakers from both parties came together and voted to clear a key procedural hurdle. More votes will be needed before Senate passage of one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities.

The measure would provide a massive injection of federal money for a range of public works programs, from roads and bridges to broadband internet access, drinking water and others. In a rare stroke of bipartisanship, Republicans joined Democrats during the weekend session to overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the measure toward final votes. The vote was 67-27.

If approved, the bill would go to the House.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the first of Biden’s two infrastructure packages. The administration and congressional leaders will soon turn to a second, larger package that is expected to draw only Democratic support.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-bu ... 2aa53516ff
User avatar
wjfox
Site Admin
Posts: 8732
Joined: Sat May 15, 2021 6:09 pm
Location: London, UK
Contact:

Re: USA News and Discussions

Post by wjfox »

User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: USA News and Discussions

Post by caltrek »

Dominion Sues Newsmax, One America News Network Over Election Fraud Lies
by Daniel Politi
August 10, 2021

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/202 ... twork.html

Introduction:
(Slate) Dominion Voting Systems has filed three $1.6 billion defamation lawsuits against two far-right media networks and a prominent ally of former President Donald Trump claiming they spread false information about fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The voting machine company filed lawsuits against One America News Network and Newsmax Media as well as businessman Patrick Byrne, the former head of Overstock.com. This is the latest in a series of lawsuits by Dominion, which has also sued Fox News, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, and lawyers Sydney Powell and Rudy Giuliani under similar allegations.

The far-right networks that spread lots of lies about fraud in the presidential election and “helped create and cultivate an alternate reality where up is down, pigs have wings, and Dominion engaged in a colossal fraud to steal the presidency from Donald Trump by rigging the vote,” Dominion wrote in its lawsuits. Dominion says that OANN and Newsmax “manufactured, endorsed, repeated, and broadcast a series of verifiably false yet devastating lies about Dominion.” As a result of the lies the networks spread, the company claims it lost out on contracts and its employees faced harassment as well as death threats.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
Post Reply