Contact: [email protected]
We will never sell, rent, or give your personal information away under any circumstance.
Politics
— (Real Clear Politics) (3/1)
Mar 04, 2021
Don't Blame the Parliamentarian"It’s not the parliamentarian’s fault that the Byrd Rule exists, or that the filibuster exists, or that Democrats are not united in support for a $15 national minimum wage. The rules stay on the books because a majority of the Senate wants to keep them on the books. If the minimum wage is to be increased, it will be because enough members of Congress who hold different views negotiate with one another and reach a compromise. Progressives should work toward that end, and leave the parliamentarian alone."
— (Real Clear Politics) (3/1) (Pocket)
Minimum wage hike all but dead in big COVID relief billWASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats' hopes of including a minimum wage increase in their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill seemed all but dead as the Senate prepared to debate its own version of the House-passed aid package. Four days after the chamber’s parliamentarian said Senate rules forbid inclusion of a straight-out
— Alan Fram (Washington Times) (3/2) (Pocket)
Senate Democrats nix 'Plan B' on minimum wage hike"Even if the parliamentarian had ruled for the $15 per hour minimum wage, it would likely have faced changes in the Senate because the proposal does not have the support of 50 Democratic senators. Sen. Joe ManchinJoseph (Joe) ManchinProgressives fume over Senate setbacks Politics, not racism or sexism, explain opposition to Biden Cabinet nominees House Democrats pass sweeping .9T COVID-19 relief bill with minimum wage hike MORE (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have voiced opposition and there were ongoing conversations among a broader group about things like tipped workers and how to structure in the increase. "
— Jordain Carney (The Hill) (3/1) (Pocket)
— Jill Colvin And Steve Peoples (Washington Times) (2/25)
Feb 28, 2021
Conservative gathering to feature Trump's false fraud claims"McConnell, a regular at the annual conference, will not be on the program after publicly chastising Trump for inciting last month’s deadly insurrection at the Capitol. McConnell and his allies are worried that Trump will undermine the party’s political future should the former president and his conspiracy theories continue to dominate Republican politics. "
— Jill Colvin And Steve Peoples (Washington Times) (2/25) (Pocket)
Conservatives go after Cheney for Trump CPAC remarks"House Freedom Caucus members are going after Cheney, chair of the House Republican Conference, following an awkward moment during a press conference Wednesday with the House GOP leader. Just moments after McCarthy said he thought Trump should speak at the CPAC gathering this weekend in Florida, Cheney reiterated her position that she does not think the former president should have a place in the Republican Party because of his role in the deadly insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6."
— Juliegrace Brufke (The Hill) (2/25) (Pocket)
Trump Set To Return to the Spotlight With CPAC Speech"The event so far at a Hyatt hotel in Orlando, Florida, has been a tribute to Trump and Trumpism, complete with a golden statue in his likeness. Speakers, including many potential GOP 2024 hopefuls, have argued the party must embrace the former president and his followers, even after the deadly insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6. They stand in opposition to others who argue the party must move in a new, less divisive direction after Republicans lost not only the White House but both chambers of Congress in the last elections."
— Ap News (Snopes) (2/28) (Pocket)
— Robin Lloyd (Scientific American) (2/19)
Feb 20, 2021
Massive Power Failure Could Finally Cause Texas to Connect with the Nation's Power Grids"Texas is rich in fossil fuels, renewable power and political power, so for many decades it has run its own power grid, freeing it from federal oversight. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), a nonprofit corporation, manages the network of electrical suppliers, called the Texas Interconnection, which serves 90 percent of the state. ERCOT and Texas have resisted invitations and outright appeals to connect with the nation’s two other power grids: the Eastern Connection, which links suppliers and customers east of the Rockies, and the Western Connection, which links power west of the Rockies."
— Robin Lloyd (Scientific American) (2/19) (Pocket)
The freeze in Texas exposes America’s infrastructural failings"Many Republican politicians were quick to blame renewable energy sources, such as wind power, for the blackouts, but that is not fair. Some wind turbines did indeed freeze, but natural gas, which accounts for around half of the state’s electricity generation, was the primary reason for the shortfall. Plants broke down, as did the gas supply chain and pipelines. The cold also caused a reactor at one of the state’s two nuclear plants to go offline. Transmission lines may have also iced up, says Wade Schauer of Wood Mackenzie, a research firm. In short, Texas experienced a perfect storm of equipment failure. "
— (The Economist) (2/17) (Pocket)
3 Million Texans Without Power As Grid Chaos Continues Ahead Of Imminent Ice Storm"Update (0854 ET): Texas power grid operator ERCOT, which represents 90% of the state's electric load, tweeted Tuesday morning that "generators to return, renewable output to increase = increased customer restoration." "
— Tyler Durden (ZeroHedge Opinion) (2/17) (Pocket)
— By Nahal Toosi (Politico) (2/1)
Feb 04, 2021
U.S. warns Myanmar’s military it’ll be punished for coup"According to reports from the region, the Myanmar military has taken into custody several top civilian leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and democracy activist whose political party has won recent elections. In a televised statement, the military said that it had taken control of the country and declared a state of emergency for one year."
— By Nahal Toosi (Politico) (2/1) (Pocket)
Myanmar’s Coup Was a Chronicle Foretold"The putsch, the first in Myanmar since 1988, came after days of swirling rumors and reports of an impending military action. And like previous coups in the country, it was justified in the name of democracy: Myanmar’s constitution allows the army to take power in order to prevent any situation that "may disintegrate the Union or disintegrate national solidarity or that may cause the loss of sovereignty." In this case, the army claimed that it needed to investigate allegations of fraud in the country’s November 8 election, in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD won a sweeping victory over the military’s electoral proxy, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)."
— Sebastian Strangio (Foreign Affairs) (2/1) (Pocket)
Security Council unity ‘crucial’ to support democracy in Myanmar"The UN Special Envoy on Myanmar appealed on Tuesday for the Security Council to unite in support of democracy in the country in the wake of the recent power grab by the military and the declaration of a one-year state of emergency. "
— (United Nations) (2/2) (Pocket)