I expected the United States Senate to show almost comical ignorance about how Facebook works. You have to remember that the Senate is comically ignorant about most of the industries and issues they regulate. Watching a Senate hearing on anything you are professionally familiar with is like watching a gang of kids in a bouncy castle: you just hope they don’t hurt themselves before they … Read More
Bipartisan Bill In The Works To Protect Mueller Investigation
A combined version of two bipartisan Senate bills designed to protect special counsel Robert Mueller’s job is set to be released Wednesday, marking lawmakers’ latest political warning shot to President Donald Trump as he entertains firing the man investigating him. The new Senate legislation is the product of months-long talks among Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Cory Booker … Read More
Paul Ryan To “Retire”
I’m not the first to say it. Paul Ryan got into politics for one reason and one reason only. To give huge tax cuts to the wealthiest of people. He’s wanted to do that since he read Atlas Shrugged. And he did it. He had to endure kissing HARD on Trump’s ass to do it, but he did it. He got … Read More
Devin Nunes, GOP Head of House Intel Committee, Is Subject Of Leak Complaint By Senate Intel Committee
The Senate Intelligence Committee has concluded that Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee were behind the leak of private text messages between the Senate panel’s top Democrat and a Russian-connected lawyer, according to two congressional officials briefed on the matter. Senator Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, the committee’s Republican chairman, and Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat, … Read More
The Dumbest Shutdown Ever
Most people slept through it, but yes, the United States government shutdown for several hours last night. Yesterday, in something of a throwback, the two parties struck a deal and came out with a bi-partisan spending bill. Great news, right? But Republican and libertarian Rand Paul had to make a point: Republicans no longer care about deficit spending. Rand wanted … Read More
FEMA Response To Puerto Rico Even Worse That We Thought
In November, The Associated Press found that after Hurricane Maria, FEMA awarded more than $30 million in contracts for emergency tarps and plastic sheeting to a company that never delivered the needed supplies to Puerto Rico. And now this: The mission for the Federal Emergency Management Agency was clear: Hurricane Maria had torn through Puerto Rico, and hungry people needed food. Thirty … Read More
Congressional Republicans Are Working To Bury Trump-Russia Investigations
Aside from the saber-rattling with North Korea, and the attempts to delegitimize institutions, perhaps the most troubling trend to come from the Trump Administration so far are the efforts by many Republicans in Congress to prevent a full accounting of Russia’s interference in our election and any possible Trump campaign conspiracy with it. This is particularly true in he House … Read More
The Horrible Tax Bill Is GOP Gift To Themselves [UPDATE: Senate Votes Yes]
Literally: Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, inserted language into the final tax bill that would enrich three different constituencies: fossil fuel firms, Republicans’ major campaign donors and a handful of Cornyn’s GOP congressional colleagues including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and two other Texas lawmakers in the House. Cornyn originally added the language in an amendment to the Senate bill at the … Read More
The Scandal That Is Not
Benjamin Witte writes about the story that is the subject of Fox almost every day — that an FBI agent was removed from the Mueller team because he had exchanged private emails with another FBI agent — his girlfriend, that were gloriously anti-Trump. The right wing news and establishment think this is a scandal, but of course, this means nothing. … Read More
Jones Beats Moore In Close Result
Moore has not conceded, but the margin of victory is high enough to ensure no automatic recount. African-American turnout played an important role in Jones’ victory. Race played a bigger factor than education as white men AND WOMEN(!) preferred Moore. Of the 20 counties that saw their turnout rise in comparison to the 2014 midterm elections in Alabama, an election … Read More
Trump Endorses Accused Child Molester For Senate
The chyrons say it all: Kayla Moore (Roy’s wife) confirms: This is not normal. Can you imagine, in any other time, what would happen if a President endorsed a child molester as a candidate for Senate? Polls have the two pretty close…. Latest @EmersonCollege POLL: We now have a statistical DEAD HEAT in #alabama US Senate Special Election btwn ROY … Read More
In Other News, Senate Passes Most Atrocious Tax Bill In US History
Breaking: Jeff Flake (R-Az) votes for terrible tax bill. It looks like the GOP has enough to pass. Just so we’re all clear, a bill no one’s seen, no one’s read, and no one’s scored, dramatically affecting the planet’s largest economy, is going to pass “the world’s most deliberative body” this afternoon. https://t.co/oS3U5BeGkn — Steve Benen (@stevebenen) December 1, 2017 … Read More
This Is Not Just A Bad Tax Bill; This Is A Bill That Will Make America Worse In Many Ways
NY Times: The tax plan has been marketed by President Trump and Republican leaders as a straightforward if enormous rebate for the masses, a $1.5 trillion package of cuts to spur hiring and economic growth. But as the bill has been rushed through Congress with scant debate, its far broader ramifications have come into focus, revealing a catchall legislative creation that could reshape major … Read More
Who Is In Charge Of The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau?
Richard Cordray. the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said that he would be leaving as head of the CFPB at the end of this month. Last Friday, November 24, he sent a letter to President Trump, declaring that he’s officially done leading the federal government’s controversial consumer watchdog agency once the clock strikes midnight. In a separate letter to … Read More
The Tax Bill Is An Attack On Higher Education
Trump is in hard core twitter world again, attacking the media for — well, not exactly sure. The news isn’t good for Trump with the net closing on the Mueller scandal. Trump is obviously concerned. But he did talk about the tax bill and how wonderful it supposedly is. I like how he calls the wealthy “job producers”, as if … Read More