Good Day, Gnuville! If you, like me, have been occasionally overcome by the gloom and doom worrywarts and worst-case prognosticators, try my sure-fire cure for G&D: REALITY!
Here’s the reality of the big scary Qrazy insurrectionist Republican House. They can’t get any of their terrible bills over the finish line. They can shout and threaten and pretend they are going to defund and drill drill drill and lock people up and all the rest, but they cannot do it without the Senate and the President signing off.
Think back to 2018 when our Democrats took over the House but the Rs still controlled the Senate and the White House. Remember that stack of amazing bills that Nancy and the Dems passed in the House? Sure you do and I am sure you also remember that they all went to die in the Senate cloakroom or somewhere because Moscow Mitch wouldn’t even bring them to the floor. That was really frustrating for us back in 2019-2020. (Luckily, we won control of both the Senate and the WH after the 2020 election and the results were legendary — the most consequential legislative accomplishments in generations).
So now the situation is reversed. The House is controlled by a slim majority of Rs, but the Senate and the White House are controlled, thankfully, by Democrats. Now it’s the Rs’ turn to be frustrated. Let THEM be frustrated -instead of allowing them to freak us out with their mad ravings.
No matter what those House Republicans dream up to try to rob and hurt the American people, they cannot single-handedly impose it on us. They cannot pass laws on their own. And our Democratic Senate will not cooperate with their madness. And neither will Joe Biden sign any of their madness. Their lunacy is failed out of the gate, empty pointless posturing, dead in the water.
So, when I start to feel outraged about the things those fools are strutting and crowing about in the House, I remind myself it is all for show. It is all to feed the outrage machine, to undermine our confidence, and to make us feel like it is hopeless. Knowing how malicious a slice of the population can be is depressing and it does play on one’s mind. This is a kind of psychological warfare that we must resist. I try to ignore it as best I can and remember it is a sh*tshow, emphasis on “show” and they cannot really do anything they threaten, nor can they UNDO anything that Dems already accomplished over the past two years.
So, bearing that reality in mind, let’s get to the news!
💙 Democrats Deliver 💙
Opinion: Hakeem Jeffries gave the speech that Kevin McCarthy should have — but won’t, Dean Obeidallah, CNN, January 8, 2023.
But it wasn’t just this use of a literary device that was so extraordinary, even though that was a big part of why the speech went viral.
No, Jeffries’ words were so striking because they should have been the ones the new House speaker delivered.
Instead, McCarthy vowed that House Republicans’ “first bill will repeal funding for 87,000 new IRS agents.” Later speaking to reporters in the halls of Congress, he praised former President Donald Trump — the man the January 6 committee’s final report concluded was “the central cause” of the 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
Jeffries has consistently lived up to his first name, Hakeem — which translates from Arabic into a “wise” or “learned” person seen as a fountain of deep knowledge. (The lawmaker from New York City is Baptist, but as a Muslim, I wish he were Muslim!) His speech in Saturday’s early hours was the most recent example of his wisdom.
The first Black leader of any major party in Congress told the House chamber, “We believe that in America our diversity is a strength, it is not a weakness.” He also offered “our hand of partnership” to the Republicans, saying, “We extend, and intend, to try and find common ground, whenever and wherever possible on behalf of the American people.”
(note: Biden won’t have to veto, since it won’t get past the Senate — this is Dem messaging, also for show, to reassure everyone that we have the power to stop these MAGA Rs)
Democrats will stop them!
Do you remember back in June 2021 when I reported on the confirmation of Lina Khan and was saying how great she was going to be for working Americans? Well, here’s an example why — a potential game-changer for workers’ empowerment:
The Ban on Noncompete Clauses Will Face a Fierce Legal Battle. Its Architects Are Prepared. Matt Kent, Slate, January 10, 2023.
The Federal Trade Commission issued a proposed rule on Thursday that lays the groundwork for a nationwide ban on noncompete clauses in employment contracts. The introduction of the rule is a huge development on its own. Employers use noncompete clauses to depress wages and lock in workers for no good reason. It’s estimated that at least 30 million workers in the U.S. are subject to noncompete clauses that restrict their ability to move to a competing employer or start a competing business. Workers are unable to leverage a better job offer into higher wages. The FTC estimates that a ban on noncompetes would increase earnings over $250 billion annually. ✂️
Industry already has an asymmetrical advantage over public interest groups when it comes to shaping regulations. It is difficult to imagine the noncompetes rule surviving a full-scale assault by corporate lobbyists under Mag-Moss.
Thankfully, it’s a new day at the FTC under the current leadership of Chair Lina Khan, a Joe Biden appointee who’s backed up by commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya. Khan’s FTC acted to rescind the 2015 guidance that clipped Section 5 authority. The new guidance, issued last year, lays out an extremely strong case for the use of Section 5 authority in a wide range of contexts, including competition rulemaking.✂️
The proposed noncompetes rule has incredible potential. It is competition rulemaking, based on Section 5 authority, that will not be subject to onerous Mag-Moss procedures. Once finalized, it will help millions of Americans stuck in hostile, abusive, or just plain bad work environments. The rule will raise wages and allow for real competition in the labor market. Ultimately, it could open the door for the FTC to meet its mandate to protect consumers and competition, without being dragged down by weaponized procedure.
Jessie mentioned this in Monday’s GNR and I want to repeat it because this is HUGE in so many ways, and hopefully the beginning of a real and strengthening trend. We should be fixing things, not throwing them away — and in cases like this Deere order, it’s another non-compete kind of thing that was hurting working people. Thanks, Biden!:
Reminder: The IRS funding in the recently passed spending bill is already signed into law. The Rs cannot undo that in spite of their threats to “defund the IRS”. Future funding will probably require a fight, but for this fiscal year, it’s funded:
How Congress Finally Cracked Down on a Massive Tax Scam, Peter Elkind, ProPublica, January 9, 2023.
After six years of failed efforts by the IRS, Justice Department and lawmakers, new legislation is expected to prevent the worst abuses of a tax-avoidance scheme that has cost the U.S. Treasury billions of dollars. Tucked into the massive, $1.7 trillion government spending bill signed into law by President Joe Biden on Dec. 29, a provision in the law seems poised to accomplish what thousands of audits, threats of hefty penalties and criminal prosecutions could not: shutting down a booming business in “syndicated conservation easements,” which exploit a charitable tax break that Congress established to preserve open land. ✂️
In an email to ProPublica, Rettig, whose term as IRS commissioner expired in November, called the new legislation “critical to the ongoing efforts of the IRS to stem the tide of abusive syndicated conservation easements.” He said the measure, combined with $80 billion in new funding for the resource-starved agency, “will hopefully allow the IRS compliance and taxpayer education efforts to catch up on abusive syndicated conservation easement transactions as well as other similarly important service and compliance functions.”
The IRS, in a separate statement to ProPublica, said “we are working to implement the recent legislation aimed at some of the most egregious syndication conservation easement transactions” as part of the agency’s “commitment and efforts to combat abusive conservation easement transactions and all other abusive transactions.”
Repetition is Good — The House can’t pass anything alone. Say it as often as you need to remind yourself and keep your spirits up as the House Rs try to create chaos.
🎶
⚖️ Legal News ⚖️
“This is a worrisome case if you’re Donald Trump”: Ex-prosecutor warns of “damning” Georgia evidence, Travis Gettys, Salon, January 10, 2023.
Georgia prosecutors have ended one phase of their investigation into Donald Trump, and it's looking increasingly likely that he might face consequences for his attempt to overturn his election loss there.
A special grand jury convened in Fulton County has been investigating whether Trump and his allies broke the law in their efforts and issued a final report, which a judge will decide Jan. 24 whether to release to the public, and former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" the former president will have a hard time escaping legal consequences. ✂️
"Two reasons this is a worrisome case if you're Donald Trump," he said. "One, he is on tape, so this is, if you're a prosecutor, you're basically saying 'please press play,' and you let the jury hear the actual defendant, and then you have all of the other evidence to contextualize what he was doing. So he's front and center, and he can't say, 'I didn't know what was going on or it wasn't me, the evidence was made up.' You have his own voice, which as you alluded to and everyone has now heard, is really damning. The second point is it's a state charge. State charges are not subject to a presidential pardon. For instance, President Trump at the end of his term issued all sorts of pardons to various criminals, including many of his own cronies, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn -- they dismissed the charges and issued pardons. That is not possible with a state charge, so if Trump or an ally were to become president, it is irrelevant to these charges."
Rudy Giuliani Subpoenaed About Ratf*cking Payouts From Trump PACs, Liz Dye, Wonkette, January 10, 202
(Monday) night CNN reported that the grand jury investigating Donald Trump's many, many crimes subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani about payments from the Trump campaign for his efforts to ratfuck the 2020 election. Because if you think you're going to drop a subpoena in DC and keep it secret from reporters Katelyn Polantz and Sarah Murray, you are sadly mistaken.
During the second House January 6 Select Committee hearing in June, Rep. Zoe Lofgren accused the former president of using "false claims of election fraud to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from supporters who were told their donations were for the legal fight in the courts,” adding later that “the big lie was also a big ripoff.” In the final hearing, Lofgren went further, asserting that "the committee has learned that some of those funds were used to hire lawyers. We have also obtained evidence of efforts to provide or offer employment to witnesses."
Later, it was confirmed that she was referring to Mark Meadows's former aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who changed her testimony after firing Trumpland lawyer Stefan Passantino, who was being paid by a Trump-related entity. Hutchinson alleges that Passantino refused to disclose who was footing the bill, saying "we’re not telling people where funding is coming from right now, don’t worry, we’re taking care of you," and that he counseled her to testify that she did not recall events she witnessed, because “They don’t know what you know, Cassidy. They don’t know that you can recall some of these things. So you saying ‘I don’t recall’ is an entirely acceptable response to this.”
Hey, Stefan, did you maybe also get a little love note from the grand jury? Wonkette's DMs are open!
Allen Weisselberg finally sentenced
The sentence seems short thanks to a plea deal (and Riker’s Island isn’t going to be easy for a 75 year old to endure), but here’s an example of consequences. Weisselberg’s testimony helped convict the Trump Org of crimes, for which it will be sentenced (to fines, hopefully sizable) on Friday:
Trump Org CFO to Spend 5 Hellish Months on Rikers Island, Jose Pagliery, Daily Beast, January 10, 2023.
On Tuesday in Manhattan criminal court, a state judge sentenced the wealthy 75-year-old to five months at Rikers, noting he was inclined to give Weisselberg an even stiffer sentence. He cited the way Weisselberg abused his position of authority at the Trump Organization to cook the books—and give his wife a no-show job just to let her qualify for taxpayer retirement benefits.✂️
Weisselberg avoided what could have been a longer sentence when he struck a plea deal with New York County prosecutors and agreed to testify against the company, which was itself convicted of similar crimes in December. The company is set to be sentenced this Friday and punished with monetary fines.✂️
“Regardless of what you think of Weisselberg politically, spending 100 days at Rikers Island is going to be absolute misery,” warned attorney Eliza Orlins, a public defender whose clients routinely get shipped there. “People are suffering there. They’re not getting their medical appointments. They’re not getting food. They’re not getting clean, sanitary conditions. It’s horrible for every single person who has to go there.”
Another loser off to jail:
Romanian Court Rejects Quran-Toting Andrew Tate’s Plea to Be Freed, Dan Sadden-Hall and AJ McDougall, Daily Beast, January 10, 2023.
Andrew Tate lost his appeal to end the 30-day detention order he was put under after his arrest in connection to an ongoing criminal investigation in Romanialast month, officials said.✂️
“The possibility that the suspects would evade investigation, leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition given their financial possibilities and public comments to that regard cannot be ignored,” the court judge wrote in the record approving the arrest.✂️
A spokesperson for DIICOT told Reuters that prosecutors have seized more than 10 properties and 15 luxury vehicles belonging to the defendants in the case to stop the assets being hidden or sold
🎶 Music for All the Criminals 🎶
🇺🇸 State Stuff 🇺🇸
Illinois
Assault weapon sales now illegal in Illinois: ‘This will save lives,’ Pritzker says after quickly signing bill into law, Tina Sfondeles, Chicago Sun✶Times, January 10, 2022.
SPRINGFIELD — Assault weapons can no longer be sold in Illinois.
The state immediately banned the sale of the military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines Tuesday evening, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature on a bill the House had passed just hours earlier.
“Today, we made history, becoming the ninth state to institute an assault weapons ban —and one of the strongest assault weapons bans in the nation,” Pritzker said just before signing the bill in a ceremony quickly put together at the state Capitol.✂️
His signature shortly before 8:30 p.m. immediately bans the sale of assault weapons in Illinois and caps the purchase of magazines at 10 rounds for long guns and 15 for handguns. It also makes rapid-fire devices, known as “switches,” illegal because they turn firearms into fully automatic weapons. Those already owning the banned guns would be allowed to keep them but would have to register them with the Illinois State Police by Jan. 1.
Democratic guv Pritzker leading Illinois from strength to strength
From free college to universal preschool, Pritzker pledges second-term ‘agenda as ambitious and bold as our people are’, Tina Sfondeles, Chicago Sun✶Times, January 10, 2023.
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday offered up bold promises in his second inaugural address, vowing free college tuition for working-class families and more affordable and widespread health care and child care. ✂️
Pritzker said it is his administration’s obligation to make college more affordable by bringing down the cost of higher education, vowing to focus on “making tuition free for every working-class family.” He said he’d also work to make preschool available to every family throughout the state and provide more economic security for families by eliminating child care deserts and expanding child care options.
He also broadly stated that health care coverage must become “more affordable and more widespread.”✂️
Democrats are also hoping to pass an abortion measure during the lame duck session that would expand the scope of medical professionals who can perform abortions, among other legal protections. And Pritzker said he’d continue to embolden Illinois as a safe haven for women in the Midwest.
“The extremists still want to take away a woman’s right to choose, and I don’t intend to let them,” Pritzker said. “That’s why yet again, on women’s rights, Illinois will lead.”
Chicago — my kind of town!
City Council committee adds teeth to city ordinance protecting abortion, gender care, Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun✶Times, January 9, 2023.
A City Council committee on Monday put teeth into a groundbreaking ordinance aimed at preventing out-of-state residents coming to Chicago for abortions or gender-affirming care outlawed in their home states from becoming targets of investigation.
Four months after the Bodily Autonomy Sanctuary City Ordinance passed the Council, the Committee on Health and Human Relations voted to empower Chicago’s Commission on Human Relations to “investigate and adjudicate complaints” of “discrimination and retaliation related to housing and job discrimination.”
“No one should experience discrimination or retaliation for decisions they make about their own bodies and health care needs — at home or in the workplace,” said Human Relations Commission Chair Nancy Andrade.
“We proudly support these efforts to protect those seeking reproductive health care and gender-affirming care in our city as well as the individuals and organizations providing the care. ... We will also collect information on when city departments or agencies receive requests from states with restrictive laws related to abortion or gender-affirming care.”
New York
Keep an eye on this! 11AM!
New Mexico
Good. That’s one less crazed terrorist walking around! Suspect in Shootings at Homes and Offices of New Mexico Democrats Is in Custody, Jesus Jimenez and April Rubin, New York Times, January 10, 2023.
The authorities in Albuquerque announced Monday that a suspect in the recent shootings at the homes or offices of a half-dozen Democratic elected officials was in custody on unrelated charges and that they had recovered a gun used in at least one of the shootings.✂️
Police officials asked the courts to seal all paperwork related to the case, Chief Medina said. He said that the authorities had numerous search warrants and were waiting for additional evidence.
No one was hurt in the shootings, four of which happened in December and two that took place this month. The shootings involved four homes, a workplace and a campaign office associated with two county commissioners, two state senators and New Mexico’s newly elected attorney general.
South Carolina
This won’t be the end of the fight, but it was a huge victory for reproductive rights:
Virginia
Democrats kick off 2023 special elections with a monster red-to-blue flip in Virginia, Jeff Singer, Daily Kos Elections, January 10, 2023.
Virginia Democrats scored a big pickup in the first major special election of 2023 as Virginia Beach Councilman Aaron Rouse beat his Republican opponent, Navy veteran Kevin Adams, 50.4-49.6 in the contest for the state Senate seat that Republican Jen Kiggans gave up after unseating Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria in November. Rouse’s win increases the Democrats’ edge to 22-18 and ends self-described "unapologetically pro-life" Democrat Joe Morrissey’s status as the crucial vote in a chamber where Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears can break ties.
DEMOCRATS AARON ROUSE, HOLLY SEIBOLD WIN IN JANUARY 10, 2023 SPECIAL ELECTION
So now Virginia Democrats can put the breaks on the Republican backsliding in that state. Hooray!
🎶 Music to celebrate Virginia 🎶
🐩💙 CG’s Picks 💙🐩
Hello, Everybody! It’s me, Curlygirly! I am glad to see you today. How are you feeling? Mama says that colds and flus are going around like wildfire and I hope everybody in Gnuville is keeping well! I am very well, thank you!
🦁 My first thing to tell you about today is an update on the exciting news from Lincoln Park Zoo from December! Remember I told you about the lioness Zari who is expecting cubs? And she already has a cub, Pilipili who was born last March so oh boy is Zari going to be a busy mother lion! You may think, ‘OK, one more cub won’t be that exciting’, but wait! That’s what my update is about!
African lion Zari due to deliver new cubs any day now at Lincoln Park Zoo, Emmanuel Camarillo, Chicago Sun✶Times, January 10, 2023.
A pregnant African lion at the Lincoln Park Zoo is almost ready to introduce at least a couple of new cubs to Chicago.
An ultrasound revealed that 4-year-old Zari is expecting at least two cubs, zoo officials announced Monday, adding that the lion’s “behavior changes indicate that delivery may not be too far off.”
The zoo could be expecting up to five cubs when the big day comes, officials said last month in a statement announcing Zari’s pregnancy.
So, did you read that there may be as many as FIVE new baby lions? How will we manage in Chicago with five extra lions? I told Mama we already have too many lions! And another thing! I want to know how the vets at the zoo managed to convince a LION to voluntarily participate in an ultrasound? Never fear, gnusies! Your four-pawed correspondent will try to get the scoop!
🐴 Next, I have a video about a very little horse who had some trouble walking and wasn’t expected to do very well. But some nice humans took her to live at their house and looked after her so well! Now she is more than a year old and is even doing work as a therapy animal! I am so proud of her!
🪺 And finally, here is a really neat video showing how bluebirds build a nest and raise chicks! I think bluebirds are really pretty birds!
That’s all I have for you today. Bye for now! Luv, CG 💙🐾
⚡️ Lightning RoundUp ⚡️
⚡️Legal experts pour cold water on Trump’s victory lap after classified docs found at Biden’s office, Igor Derysh, Salon, January 10, 2023.
⚡️ Legal expert: Fulton DA Fani Willis "gearing up to indict" Trump after grand jury probe concludes, Samaa Khullar, Salon, January 9, 2023.
⚡️ How a speaker of the House can be ousted with a 'motion to vacate', Kyle Stewart, NBC, January 10, 2023.
⚡️ Where Things Stand: Scalise Assures Us Santos Will Get A Stern Talking To, Thank God, Nicole LaFond, TPM, January 10, 2023.
⚡️ After 50,000 years, a comet is returning to the inner solar system. Here's how to see it, Troy Farah, Salon, January 10, 2023.
⚡️ Tevva begins first high-volume production of electric lorries in UK, Jasper Jolly, the Guardian, January 11, 2023.
⚡️ Gift article: How Finland Is Teaching a Generation to Spot Misinformation, Jenny Gross, New York Times, January 10, 2023.
⚡️ Brazil’s attempted coup was thwarted by Lula’s decisive action, minister says, Tom Phillips, the Guardian, January 10, 2023.
⚡️ Putin has only 1 option left but won't accept it, says Ukraine's foreign minister, Mary Louise Kelly, Erika Ryan and Matt Ozug, NPR, January 9, 2023.
💗 How Can You Help Build Our Democracy Back Better? 💗
Put your beautiful bleeding liberal heart into it! 🥰
Democratic litigation hero, Marc Elias was the legal eagle behind the 60 Big Lie losses after the election. Here’s his website, Democracy Docket. You can find information about current cases he is fighting to defend voting rights around the country, as well as actions you can take to help fight voter suppression at the link!
Write to voters around the country with Postcards to Voters. Progressive Muse usually posts an update on current campaigns in the comments and you can also check out the website. It’s easy, fun and it really works to GOTV!
🎩 Also, Goody posted a great list of links and I am going to borrow it because it’s great! 🎩
Fight voter suppression!
What can you do?
HERE’S HOW TO CONTACT CONGRESS:
U.S. House of Representatives:* Telephone: 202-225-3121
* Website: http://www.house.gov/
U.S. Senate:* Telephone: 202-224-3121
* Website: http://www.senate.gov/
Find your member of Congress and contact him or her:
Let them know what matters to you!
Contact your Representative
Contact your Senator
And remember, all politics is local and personal! Let’s work to flip state and local elected positions Democratic! ↓
Sister District Project — organization that is working to help Dems win state legislature races.
💙 RoundUp WindDown 💙
That’s it from me and CG for another Wednesday!
As always, I encourage you to make your health and wellbeing a priority — especially your emotional wellbeing. Get some rest. Eat nutritious food. Try to get outdoors every day for at least a few minutes, if you are able. Outdoor air, the sky, trees, any bit of out of doors can work wonders for your mental health.
We will be strong together to face whatever nonsense that crowd of rabid weasels passing for R House members may try to throw at us. Remember their power is limited and our Dems are strong and determined.
Happy Wednesday, Gnusies!