US Senate passes landmark climate bill

 

The US Senate has passed a $430 billion (€422.3 billion) climate change, healthcare and tax bill, after Vice President Kamala Harris voted in favor of the Democrats to break a tie against unanimous Republican opposition on Saturday. The package, called the Inflation Reduction Act, will earmark $430 billion in new spending along with raising more than $700 billion in new revenues.

69 Mass Shootings Occur Amid Senate Inaction on Gun Reform

 

The House passed bills to expand background checks on March 11. These are the 69 mass shootings that have happened in the U.S. as we await the Senate's vote on gun reform.

Trump impeachment: The Republicans' dilemma - BBC News

 

Donald Trump is about to stand trial in the US Senate for his role in the riot at the Capitol on 6 January. The former president is the first in US history to have been charged with misconduct - or impeached - twice by the lower chamber of US Congress.

Trump attempts to bypass Congress on coronavirus relief, though his power to do so is unclear

For those living outside the U.S. Only the U.S. Congress has the power to tax and spend. Meaning that without legislation passed by the the House and the Senate no president has the unilateral authority to allocate funds in this way. It's completely unconstitutional.  

'The universe is collapsing': Bernie Sanders mocks Republicans over coronavirus aid

Bernie Sanders clashed with Republicans as the US Senate debated a historic $2.2tn coronavirus relief package on Wednesday night. Four GOP senators had threatened to block the bill because it provided an additional $600 a week in unemployment insurance benefits to the poorest Americans. Sanders said: 'The universe is collapsing ... How absurd and wrong is that? What kind of value system is that?’

Sen. Rand Paul Takes No Responsibility For His Stupidity

Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky hit back at criticism he's been facing since testing positive for COVID-19 over the weekend in a lengthy statement Monday. 

Paul, 57, took a test for the coronavirus last Monday despite not having symptoms.

Even though the fool knew he was being tested for the coronavirus he decided to use the U.S. Senate gym and its pool.  It's hard to believe this moron is a graduate of Duke medical school.  Rand's father Ron Paul just last week posted a tweet that the coronavirus was a hoax. 

U.S. Senate Votes Against Witnesses In Trump's Impeachment Trial

Maanvi Singh in San Francisco (now), Joan E Greve in Washington (earlier) and Paul Owen (earlier)

Fri 31 Jan 2020 22.47 GMT

The senators cast their votes by roll call, with everyone voting as expected. The Senate voted 51-49 against calling additional documents and witnesses in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump.

The Democrats and two Republicans — Mitt Romney and Susan Collins — voted to hear additional testimony. The remaining Republicans voted against the motion.

Senators will now be taking a recess for an undefined amount of time.

About Those Witnesses For Trump's Impeachment Trial

The news media, their pundits and Republican's keep insisting that a deal must be made with the Democrats so that the relevant witnesses can be called to testify. 

Just to let you know, they don't.  With a 53-47 majority in the Senate.  Republicans can offer amendments to be voted on which, given their majority they can compel any witness they wish to question to appear.  They can do this without a single Democratic vote.   

White House says it will not take part in Monday's impeachment hearing

White House responds to @HouseJudiciary ...No participation in House impeachment. pic.twitter.com/NGp6Y3GfGC

— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) December 6, 2019

In his letter notifying the House judiciary committee of Trump’s decision not to send a representative to Monday’s hearing, White House counsel Pat Cipollone slammed the impeachment inquiry as “completely baseless.”

The letter from White House counsel Pat Cipollone to the House judiciary committee does not explicitly say Trump will not participate in Monday’s impeachment hearing, but an administration official reportedly confirmed he would not be sending a representative.

Senior admin official acknowledges the letter doesn't specifically state the WH won't participate. But that's what the letter means, according to a senior administration official. "The letter communicates that we will not participate in this process," the official said

How Trump Took Over Americas Courts

The weird rule that broke American politics

The US Senate is supposed to pass laws. But today, it’s broken. And it’s broken because of something called the filibuster, which has been part of Senate tradition for over 200 years. But the filibuster came into being by accident. And today, some politicians are suggesting we should get rid of it entirely.

Why Kavanaugh's accusers can't remember everything

In the weeks since Prof. Christine Blasey Ford accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a high school gathering, media coverage has focused heavily on Ford’s memories. Ford admits that she can’t remember key details about the incident, including whose house it took place at and how she got home afterward. Those gaps in her memory have led many of her critics to argue that Ford isn’t credible. Fox News in particular has seized on holes in Ford’s account to raise doubts about her allegations , even floating the theory that Ford may be confusing Kavanaugh for a doppelganger. But forgetting non-essential details is not unusual for trauma survivors. As my colleague Brian Resnick has explained, human memory is notoriously faulty. We often forget or misremember details about our experiences, even if we initially perceived them clearly.

James Comey Testimony Live on CBSN

Senate Intelligence Committee Subpoenas Michael Flynn for Russia Probe Docs

View image on Twitter

 Follow

Frank Thorp V 

✔@frankthorp

BREAKING: the Senate Intel Cmte has issued a subpoena to Michael Flynn for Docs related to their Russia Investigation:

7:25 AM - 11 May 2017

 
•  566566 Retweets
 
•  695695 likes

Donald Trump And His North Korea Problem

Bellicosity has always been an integral part of North Korea's foreign policy interactions, especially where the United States are concerned.  They've long sought recognition from America believing it would grant them legitimacy and equality on the world stage.    Kim-Jong un has continued the tradition with the constant stream of incendiary statements and when tensions have reached the breaking point North Korea has arrested American citizens into the hope that concessions which benefit Kim and his government which will insure their continued rule.

Donald Trump in recent weeks has tried to out North Korea and it's ridiculous rhetoric with his own incendiary statements believing they somehow would intimidate Kim-Jong un.  Which was a complete failure.  Particularly  the issue with the Carl Vinson carrier group which Donald Trump claimed was sailing towards the Korean peninsula. But, was found to be heading in the opposite direction towards Australia for planned naval exercises with that country's navy.

The most ridiculous moment came when, after a ten minute dissertation from Chinese Premier Xi Jinping concerning North Korea Donald Trump makes the absurd comment that dealing with Kim-Jong un wouldn't be easy.  Gee you think?  Former President Bill Clinton came the closest to dealing with North Korea and its nuclear programs in the 1990's through the Agreed Framework.

Now that the situation with North Korea has reached a crisis point Donald Trump has summoned all 100 U.S. Senators to the White House for a briefing on the issue.

In an unusual move, the entire US Senate is being called to the White House for a briefing on North Korea.

Washington has become increasingly concerned at North Korean missile and nuclear tests and threats to its neighbours and the US.

The briefing, involving 100 senators as well as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defence Secretary James Mattis, is being held on Wednesday.

China, North Korea's main ally, has called for restraint from all sides.

China's call came in a phone conversation between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump on Sunday.

Mr Xi urged all parties to "maintain restraint and avoid actions that would increase tensions", according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

The Cruz/ Fiorina For President Campaign Has Ended

In a really desperate move Ted Cruz last week named Carly Fiorina as his Vice Presidential running mate who once ran for the U.S. Senate from California and is remembered for her demon sheep commercial and for running Hewlett Packard into the ground . Unfortunately what followed was a comedy of errors.  First, you name a running mate when you have no chance of ever being the Republican nominee. Then, your running mate falls off the stage while you're giving a speech and instead of helping her up you keep talking.  On Monday he held a campaign rally in Evanston Indiana and the only people to showed up were Donald Trump supporters.   Ted Cruz did get one thing correct when he said "Donald Trump is a serial philanderer , pathological liar and a narcissist."

Mr Cruz's advisers had targeted Indiana as the senator's best hope of halting Mr Trump's march to the nomination.

"We left it all in the field in Indiana, and the voters chose another path," he told supporters in Indiana.

"With a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for the long term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign."

The verbal attacks reached a new intensity on Tuesday, as Mr Cruz attacked the billionaire businessman as "totally amoral", "a pathological liar" and "a serial philanderer".

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Has DIed Aged 79

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, known for his fiery comments on and off the bench, has died, Texas' governor says. He was 79.

"Justice Antonin Scalia was a man of God, a patriot, and an unwavering defender of the written Constitution and the Rule of Law. He was the solid rock who turned away so many attempts to depart from and distort the Constitution," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. "We mourn his passing, and we pray that his successor on the Supreme Court will take his place as a champion for the written Constitution and the Rule of Law."

Scalia was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1986 under President Ronald Reagan, who named him as Associate Justice. A lawyer by trade, he entered public service in the 1970s as general counsel for President Richard Nixon and as the Assistant Attorney General.

This is an important moment as it leaves the U.S. Supreme Court in an even ideological divide between the conservative and liberal wings of the court.  Given the current political climate in the U.S. and the rights abject hatred of President Obama any chance of having the Senate confirm any nominee before that august body and having them confirmed are near zero. 

This Is A Sitting United States Senator

Imagine if this person was campaigning for the highest elected office in your country.  This is U.S. Senator Ted Cruz Republican from Texas and he's hoping to be the next President of the United States.  He should really be fighting to be the leader of some prison gang.

The good senator is selling these posters as you can see for $50.00.

Squeal

This a political advertisement from Joni Ernst who's running for the U.S. Senate from the state of Iowa. Believe me when I say that the title says it all as to what this ad is suggesting. And, Its funny.