USA News and Discussions

[weatheriscool]

[firestar464]

Investigation: Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue's fraud-prevention 'weak'

https://www.thecentersquare.com/nationa ... 1a2f6.html

[Cyber_Rebel]

I've often wondered if Vatican City deserves its own discussion thread, being a city-state with its own policies and formalities which sets it apart from the rest of the country its within. For sake of simplicity though it's likely alright to just have it all here since it concerns aspects of why Popes might not be considered from certain countries or the reasoning behind their selection.


Very meaningful quote as it concerns the first American born Pope:

'Look, until America goes into political decline, there won't be an American pope.'

Source: cbsnews

Vatican City — Of the 266 popes who have led the Catholic Church, not one of them had been from the United States. Until Thursday. The cardinal electors gathered for the papal conclave elected an American from among their own ranks on Thursday to serve as the new pontiff. Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected and accepted his fate as the next Bishop of Rome, leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. He chose Leo XIV as his papal name.

While the relative youth of the nation, fewer than 20 of the church's previous popes had served after the U.S. Declaration of Independence in 1776, one prominent U.S. bishop offered possible explanation for the lack of an American leader of the world's Catholics a day before his election.

[caltrek]

Federal Judge Halts Trump and Musk's Illegal Overhaul of US Government
by Jessica Corbett
May 10, 2025

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) A federal judge in California on Friday temporarily blocked what at coalition of labor unions, local governments, and nonprofits argued was "the unconstitutional dismantling of the federal government by the president of the United States on a scale unprecedented in this country’s history and in clear excess of his authority."

Since returning to office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump—aided by his so-callled Department of Government Efficiency and its de facto leader, billionaire Elon Musk—has worked to quickly overhaul the bureaucracy, even though "the president does not possess authority to reorganize, downsize, or otherwise transform the agencies of the federal government, unless and until Congress authorizes such action," as the coalition's complaint notes.

District Judge Susan Illston agreed with the groups and governments, which include the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Alliance for Retired Americans, Main Street Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, the city and county of San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, and more.

"The president has the authority to seek changes to executive branch agencies, but he must do so in lawful ways and, in the case of large-scale reorganizations, with the cooperation of the legislative branch," wrote Illston in a 42-page decision. "Many presidents have sought this cooperation before; many iterations of Congress have provided it. Nothing prevents the president from requesting this cooperation—as he did in his prior term of office."

"Indeed, the court holds the president likely must request congressional cooperation to order the changes he seeks, and thus issues a temporary restraining order to pause large-scale reductions in force in the meantime," said the judge, appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by former President Bill Clinton.

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-musk

[firestar464]

NOTUS- GOP Moderates Begin to Voice Opposition to Defunding Planned Parenthood in Reconciliation

https://archive.ph/qrkgR

[firestar464]

US budget surplus rises 23% to $258 billion in April, customs revenue surges

https://www.reuters.com/business/us-bud ... 025-05-12/

White House correspondents protest lack of wire reporters on Air Force One

https://apnews.com/article/white-house- ... f1117cb02a

[firestar464]

The Trump administration says it will cut EPA staffing to Reagan-era levels

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/02/nx-s1-53 ... ump-zeldin

[firestar464]

Cruz introduces bill to use taxpayer funds to invest in savings accounts for U.S. children

https://www.thecentersquare.com/nationa ... f4c78.html

I don't get it. What is with the GOP doing economically left stuff these days?

[firestar464]

Judge orders restoration of jobs in health program for West Virginia coal miners

https://apnews.com/article/niosh-layoff ... 3344b42179

[firestar464]

[firestar464]

Speaker Johnson supports ban on stock trading for members of Congress

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5299 ... ading-ban/

What's with all these stopped clock moments of late?

[firestar464]

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signs bill to tap unused ACA insurance funds for abortion grant program

https://apnews.com/article/abortion-fun ... d044b1c62f

[weatheriscool]

House Budget Committee votes down Trump's budget bill
‪Sahil Kapur‬
‪@sahilkapur.bsky.social‬
1m

SETBACK. The GOP's big sweeping bill just failed in the Budget Committee, 16-21. Five Republicans voted NO. "The NOs have it. The committee stands in recess, subject to the call of the chair," Jodey Arrington says.

Sahil Kapur
‪@sahilkapur.bsky.social‬
"I do not anticipate us coming back today," Budget chair Jodey Arrington tells members, adding that they can go home and he'll keep them updated.
May 16, 2025 at 12:03 PM

[firestar464]

They voted "no" cuz they wanted more cuts. Eventually they'll have to fall in line I suppose

[firestar464]

Why building inspiring alternatives is necessary to counter authoritarianism

https://wagingnonviolence.org/2025/05/b ... tarianism/

[weatheriscool]

[firestar464]

https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-bid ... sis-2025-5

A spokesman claims that his cancer is hormone-sensitive, which "allows for effective management."

[firestar464]

[weatheriscool]

These republicans are literally killing their own base! WTF!

[weatheriscool]