Peltola wins Representative seat for Alaska for Democrats
Democrat Mary Peltola has won a special election for the U.S. House in Alaska, defeating Republican Sarah Palin and becoming the first-ever Alaska Native to win a seat in Congress as well as the first woman to clinch the state's at-large district.
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Looks like Garland is preparing for some partisan politics around the DOJ with a memo around "Restrictions on Political Activities"
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The White House social media account has grown teeth in the last few weeks, this article introduces us to Megan Coyne who is part of the reason why
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On the politics of education loan forgiveness
A Facebook post from a friend, who gave permission for it to be shared without credit:
A reminder on student loans: there is a conservative media strategy to keep you fighting over making the education system accessible. Here’s why:
- Student loans were implemented by conservatives to reduce access to education in the first place; educated masses are bad for power structures
- The current loan forgiveness efforts, paltry as they may be, get a ton of coverage because they need you to fight against making education more accessible
- It’s not about taxes. Mostly millionaires got nearly two TRILLION dollars in free tax money from spending programs in the pandemic and the conservative media has said fuck all about it. Why? Because they want your tax dollars going to millionaires but NOT to people who might learn how messed up the current system is.
You’re being encouraged to turn on one another intentionally for a specific reason. Don’t fall for it.
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Gender dysphoria covered by ADA
A federal ruling that gender dysphoria is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act could help block conservative political efforts to restrict access to gender-affirming care, advocates and experts say.
A panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week became the first federal appellate court in the country to find that the 1990 landmark federal law protects transgender people who experience anguish and other symptoms as a result of the disparity between their assigned sex and their gender identity.
The ruling could become a powerful tool to challenge legislation restricting access to medical care and other accommodations for transgender people, including employment and government benefits, advocates said.
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There are obviously a million issues to be addressed in today's world, but I can't help but feel the ongoing loss of teachers is something that is being deprioritized because it isn't the "house on fire" issues. I'd love to see a major legislation that pushes education back to the forefront, pours resources into schools and guarantees minimum pay for public school teachers on levels which drive competition with the open market, etc.
Obviously this becomes a partisan issue under the "but my freedom" resistance to nationalized public education. But, pardon my french, those people can go fuck themselves.
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Maxwell Alejandro Frost might become the first Gen-Z member of Congress
Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL) has defeated Kat Demings in the primary for Florida's 10th District. The district is reliably a democratic district which would make it seem likely that Frost could become the first Gen-Z congressperson.
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"The Trump Mar-a-Lago search was justified"
Perhaps the only time I will link to Fox News. A good editorial which dives into the legitimacy of the Mar-a-Lago search.
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Dr. Fauci announces intention to step down in December 2022
Fauci said in a statement on Monday that he will leave both his post as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), as well as that of top medical adviser to President Joe Biden, to “pursue the next phase” of his career.
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Madison Cawthorn's campaign deficit is more than some make in a decade of work
A pair of unusual campaign finance reports this week reveal that since 2019, Cawthorn has personally invested a total of $817,000 into his campaign, while recovering only $261,000 of that amount.
That leaves him personally in the hole $556,000, more than three times the annual congressional salary of $174,000.
In all, the Cawthorn campaign raised almost $4.5 million for his failed 2022 re-election bid. It blew through more than $4.9 million along the way. The grand totals for 2020 and 2022 combined: $9.2 million in, $9.55 million out.
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Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) introduces the "The Saving Homes from Acquisition by Private Equity Act"
From the intro of the bill:
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose an excise tax on the acquisition of single-family homes by certain large investors.
From the Press Release by Congressman Adam's office:
“One of the greatest challenges we face as a country is housing affordability. Individuals and families across the country are struggling to afford to rent or buy homes. This has been exacerbated in recent years by a troubling increase in investors purchasing a significant percentage of existing single-family homes, squeezing out prospective homebuyers and harming future renters. We must curb this harmful trend before it further accelerates our nation’s housing crisis – that’s exactly what the SHAPE Act will do. Folks in our communities should not have to compete with large institutional investors and private equity firms when they go to buy a home, and renters should not be subjected to the harmful practices by these investor class landlords that want to wring the value out of each house. My bill will deter this problematic trend that is damaging the housing market, consumers, and our communities.”
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"USPS reform act 2022: What the new overhaul law means for you"
I had no idea that this law got bipartisan support and passed. Biden signed it today.
From the article:
The Postal Service Reform Act will require retired postal employees to enroll in Medicare when eligible, while dropping a previous mandate that forced the agency to cover its health care costs years in advance.
Those two measures would save the USPS nearly $50 billion over the next decade, according to the House Oversight Committee.
The legislation will also require the USPS to create an online dashboard with local and national delivery time data.
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Liz Cheney defeated in Wyoming GOP Primary
I have to assume she expected this as a repercussion for doing the right thing with the January 6th commission.
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"Biden signs Inflation Reduction Act into law, setting 15% minimum corporate tax rate"
Today is the day.
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Department of Education to forgive $4B in loans for those defauded by ITT Technical Institute
The Department of Education announced Tuesday that it will cancel nearly $4 billion worth of federal student loans for 208,000 borrowers defrauded by a popular for-profit institution.
All remaining students who attended the now-defunct ITT Technical Institute (ITT) between Jan. 1, 2005, through its closure in September 2016, including those who have not submitted a borrower defense claim, will have 100% of their loans canceled. Borrowers who qualify for the relief will not need to take any additional action to receive the funds.
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"Inflation Reduction Act Requires IRS To Study Free Tax Filing Options"
A very welcome bit of news as this is an area definitely in need of some correction.
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California has made lunch free for all K-12 students
I am a big fan of this move and am hoping Washington follows suit soon.
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"Trump Lawyer Told Justice Dept. That Classified Material Had Been Returned"
At least one lawyer for former President Donald J. Trump signed a written statement in June asserting that all material marked as classified and held in boxes in a storage area at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and club had been returned to the government, four people with knowledge of the document said.
The written declaration was made after a visit on June 3 to Mar-a-Lago by Jay I. Bratt, the top counterintelligence official in the Justice Department’s national security division.
The existence of the signed declaration, which has not previously been reported, is a possible indication that Mr. Trump or his team were not fully forthcoming with federal investigators about the material. And it could help explain why a potential violation of a criminal statute related to obstruction was cited by the department as one basis for seeking the search warrant used to carry out the daylong search of the former president’s home on Monday, an extraordinary step that generated political shock waves.
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John Fetterman has an event in Erie Pennsylvania, his first since his stroke
I could be wrong, but I feel like no other new-Democratic senator run has gotten as much press as Fetterman since Obama or AOC. He seems like a very down to earth and good dude. We will see how his election goes. Fingers crossed.
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