April 23, 2022

Native Americans warn of voter suppression in Western states

Native American rights groups say a host of new Republican-backed bills that restrict or limit common voter registration and absentee ballot practices threaten to disenfranchise thousands of tribal citizens.

Many of the laws that have passed in recent years, driven by Republicans who have used former President Trump’s false claims about his 2020 loss as cover for a campaign against broader voter access, will take a disproportionate toll on Native American voters, those groups say, because those voters are disproportionately older, rural and impoverished.

“Structural barriers are impacting Native people’s abilities to vote,” said Allison Neswood, a staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund. “We felt like Native issues were being both misunderstood and overlooked at the state level, even by voting rights advocates because our populations can be small.”

Neswood’s group, along with the ACLU and Harvard Law School’s Election Law Clinic, led a challenge to two Montana laws passed by the Republican-dominated legislature earlier this year they said would directly impact the Native American vote.

https://thehill.com/news/state-watch/3459240-native-americans-warn-of-voter-suppression-in-western-states/

March 31, 2022

@AOC teed off on discriminatory home appraisal practices during a Financial Services hearing

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1509339695527911432

March 30, 2022

DOJ's Jan. 6 probe expands to rally preparations, conspiracies: report

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is expanding its probe of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack to include the events leading up to the preceding rally, and the wider conspiracies that fueled the violence, people familiar with the issue told The Washington Post.

(Snip)

Sources told the Post the DOJ is now looking to the planning of the rally and the conspiracy theories that surrounded the event.

(Snip)

The DOJ has begun issuing subpoenas to investigate the funding and planning of the event as well as who was involved. People familiar with the issue told the Post the subpoenas were issued against those in Trump’s circle but would not say what they requested or who received them.

Investigations into the rally could include how protesters got the money to go to Washington, D.C., and who was behind the planning of the incident.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/600449-dojs-jan-6-probe-expands-to-rally-preparations-conspiracies-report

March 30, 2022

Warren: Leon, before the tears start streaming down your face again, let's remember

https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1509169438309896194

Billionaire Leon Cooperman says Biden's billionaire tax is 'stupid,' 'probably illegal,' and 'won't pass'

https://www.businessinsider.com/billionaire-leon-cooperman-biden-income-gains-tax-stupid-wont-pass-2022-3

A reminder of when Leon Cooperman was crying over a wealth tax.

March 18, 2022

Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania declare number of Russian diplomats personae non grata

Current activities of those persons under diplomatic cover are incompatible with their diplomatic status and are causing detriment to the Republic of Latvia, the country’s foreign ministry reported, according to Ukrinform.

The decision “was taken in solidarity with Ukraine in its fight against the unprovoked and unjustified military aggression by Russia against Ukraine, with members of security services of the Russian Federation having played an important role in the planning and implementation of that aggression.”

The decision was conveyed to Russian Ambassador to Latvia Mikhail Vanin. Expelled diplomats must leave the country by 23:59 on March 23.

Today, Russia's ambassador to Estonia was summoned to the country's foreign ministry, where he was handed a diplomatic note stating that three employees of the Russian embassy with diplomatic status had been declared non grata. They “directly and actively undermined Estonia’s security and spread propaganda justifying Russia’s military action.” All three must leave the country within 72 hours.

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/3433485-latvia-estonia-lithuania-declare-number-of-russian-diplomats-personae-non-grata.html

March 18, 2022

Britain Revokes UK License Of Russian TV Channel

Britain on Friday revoked the UK broadcasting license of Russian state-funded television channel RT in the latest repercussion for Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

"Ofcom has today revoked RT's licence to broadcast in the UK, with immediate effect," Britain's media regulator said in a statement, adding it did not consider it "fit and proper" for RT to operate in the country.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/the-economic-shock-of-russias-war-will-shake-the-world-51647463866

March 15, 2022

Phoenix police ranks #1 in deadly use of force compared to other major departments

PHOENIX — Of the police departments that cover the ten most populous cities in the country, the Phoenix Police Department ranks number 1 for use of deadly force.

The organization “Mapping Police Violence” has compiled a database of police deadly use of force going back to 2013. The database contains records of 9,942 deadly force incidents involving police during that time frame. Departments in Arizona account for 437, or 4% of the people that died during an encounter with the police. The data shows that 131 of these encounters happened with the Phoenix Police Department, the second-highest of any department tracked by the organization.

When adjusting for the population of the 10 largest cities Phoenix has a deadly incident rate of 75 people killed per one million. This is nearly double San Antonio, the city ranked at number two that has a rate of 42 deaths per 1 million people. Phoenix’s rate is more than double the remaining eight cities on the list.

https://www.abc15.com/news/in-depth/phoenix-police-ranks-1-in-deadly-use-of-force-compared-to-other-major-departments

March 10, 2022

Biden Will Cancel $6.2 Billion Of Student Loans

President Joe Biden will cancel $6.2 billion in student loans through changes to student loan forgiveness.

Here’s what you need to know.

Student Loans

There’s more good news for student loan borrowers who are seeking student loan forgiveness. The U.S. Department of Education has identified 100,000 student loan borrowers who are now eligible for student loan cancellation due to the changes the Biden administration made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program in October. In aggregate, these student loan borrowers will get $6.2 billion in student loan cancellation. The Education Department is notifying these student loan borrowers of their eligibility for student loan forgiveness, as CNN reported. Ultimately, the Education Department says that 550,000 student loan borrowers will get student loan forgiveness sooner due to these changes.

Student loan forgiveness: who is eligible

Who is eligible for this student loan cancellation? Based on the major changes to student loan forgiveness, the Biden administration relaxed the requirements regarding which student loan payments count toward student loan forgiveness; which types of student loans count for student loan forgiveness; which employers qualify for student loan forgiveness; and when student loan payments start counting for student loan forgiveness. (6 major changes to student loan forgiveness).

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2022/03/09/biden-will-cancel-62-billion-in-student-loans-through-changes-to-student-loan-forgiveness/?utm_campaign=socialflowForbesMainTwitter&utm_source=ForbesMainTwitter&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Valerie&sh=298fa14a93f4

February 8, 2022

Pennsylvania Senate committee holds first-ever hearing on legalizing recreational marijuana

HARRISBURG, Pa. —
For the first time ever, a Pennsylvania Senate committee held a legislative hearing on the possible legalization of recreational marijuana.

State senators heard from law enforcement officials, including York County District Attorney Dave Sunday and the chief county detective in Dauphin County.

Pennsylvania Sen. Mike Regan, a Republican who represents parts of York and Cumberland counties, chairs the committee and has expressed interest in crafting a bill to legalize recreational marijuana.

Regan is hoping to convince fellow Republicans to back a bill he's drafting with Rep. Amen Brown (D-190).

https://www.wgal.com/article/pennsylvania-senate-committee-hearing-legalizing-recreational-marijuana/39000060

January 27, 2022

It's time for the Senate to vote: Americans have a right to know where their senators stand

During the last year there have been endless back-room negotiations within the Senate Democratic Caucus on Build Back Better, President Biden’s enormously popular legislation which addresses the long-neglected needs of America’s working families. But, amazingly, there have been no votes. The result: the Republican Party is able to escape responsibility for their reactionary positions and is now laughing all the way to likely political success in the 2022 elections.

Here’s a radical idea for the Senate, “the world’s greatest deliberative body.” Let’s vote. Let’s have every Republican and Democrat take a position on some of the most important issues facing the working families of this country. Let’s vote on whether, at a time of massive income and wealth inequality, the wealthiest people in our society should start paying their fair share of taxes so that we can improve life for the average American.

Eighty-three percent of the American people support empowering the federal government to negotiate with the pharmaceutical industry to lower prescription drug prices.

What do the Republicans think? Are they prepared to stand up to the greed of the pharmaceutical industry which charges us the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs? Will Republicans vote to have Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices in the same way that the VA does, which would lower the cost of prescription drugs by 50 percent.

https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/591544-its-time-for-the-senate-to-vote-americans-have-a-right-to-know