Good Day, Gnusies. We’ve got a lot to celebrate today on this last day of November 2022. Yesterday, the Senate voted to protect all marriages and one of the most infamous insurrectionist organizers was convicted of seditious conspiracy. It was a good day for freedom and democracy.
Let’s dive in for the details and other good news!
💙 Democrats Deliver 💙
Senate Passes Bill Codifying Same-Sex Marriage Protections, Jennifer Bendery, HuffPost, November 29, 2022.
The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to codify protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, a historic vote aimed at protecting people’s civil rights in the event that the conservative-led Supreme Court decides to dismantle marriage equality on the heels of gutting abortion rights.
The Respect for Marriage Act passed, 61 to 36. Every Democrat present voted for it, and they needed at least 10 Republicans to vote with them. They got 12.✂️
The measure now heads to the House and, assuming it passes, to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters Tuesday that the House plans to take up and pass the bill as soon as next Tuesday.
The bill does two things: It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 federal law that banned same-sex marriage, and it requires states to recognize valid same-sex marriages from other states. It also ensures the same protections for interracial marriages.
Minority Dems in Alaska strike deal with moderate Rs to govern!
Every now and then, someone opines that the USA would be better off with more parties. Then someone else says no, the two party system is the only workable one, but we just need two sane parties. I kind of think Alaska has maybe found a way to have the best of both worlds. The best feature of multiple party systems is the potential for coalitions between parties, enabling them to work together to get stuff done (and to edge out other parties). We might be able to get something like that going — even with just two (ostensibly) parties — because there are factions within the parties that might find common ground. Check out Alaska’s surprising senate coalition!
You never know, gnusies — maybe the few remaining sane Republicans in the House might decide to join forces with Democrats to get something done! 🤞
💪🗳 Democracy Persists 💪🗳
In spite of voter suppression, people are determined to vote and make their voices heard. WE the people will not allow our democracy to be destroyed by authoritarians. In Georgia this week, voters are out in force to cast their ballots in the senate run-off. Monday saw record-breaking turnout and it looks like the pace will continue through the week:
Early voter turnout accelerates in Georgia Senate runoff after record-breaking day, Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, November 29, 2022.
Georgia’s early-voter turnout is accelerating in the high-profile Senate runoff race between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Trump-backed Republican Herschel Walker — even after voters already crushed the state’s in-person record for early voting the previous day.
“We are on a faster pace today than we were yesterday,” Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer for the Georgia Secretary of State, said in a tweet Tuesday. ✂️
The data show that more than 48% of early voters are white and about 38% are Black, and that Black voters are showing up to vote early at a higher turnout rate. The early voter turnout also appears to skew female, 55% to 44%, according to the state elections office.
Also in Georgia, this guy! 🙄
Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker described himself as living in Texas during 2022 campaign speech, Andrew Kaczynski and Olivia Alafriz, CNN, November 29, 2022.
Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, facing renewed and growing questions about his residency in the final week of the runoff campaign, described himself during a campaign speech in January as living in Texas and said he decided to run for Georgia’s Senate seat while at his Texas “home,” according to a CNN KFile review of his campaign speeches.
Georgia Democrats have called for an investigation by state officials into Walker’s residency after CNN’s KFile reported last week that Walker was getting a tax break in Texas intended for a primary residence, possibly running afoul of Texas tax law and some rules for establishing Georgia residency for voting and running for office.
“I live in Texas,” Walker said in January of this year, when speaking to University of Georgia College Republicans. Walker was criticizing Democrats for not visiting the border when he made the comments. “I went down to the border off and on sometimes,” he said.
Of course 🙄
⚖️ Law and Justice ⚖️
Oath Keepers’ Rhodes guilty of Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy, AP, November 29, 2022.
A Washington, D.C., jury found Rhodes guilty of sedition after three days of deliberations in the nearly two-month-long trial that showcased the far-right extremist group’s efforts to keep Republican Donald Trump in the White House at all costs.
Rhodes was acquitted of two other conspiracy charges. A co-defendant — Kelly Meggs, who led the antigovernment group’s Florida chapter — was also convicted of seditious conspiracy, while three other associates were cleared of that charge. Jurors found all five defendants guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding: Congress’ certification of Biden’s electoral victory.
The verdict, while mixed, marks a significant milestone for the Justice Department and is likely to clear the path for prosecutors to move ahead at full steam in upcoming trials of other extremists accused of sedition.
⬆ (Here’s hoping!) ⬆
Judge Finds Trump Stepped Outside Presidential Immunity With 2020 Subversion, Josh Kovensky, Talking Points Memo, November 29, 2022.
Now the first of several civil rights lawsuits brought against Trump for his attempt to subvert the 2020 elections is before Sullivan.
In the Monday ruling, Sullivan held that the lawsuit, brought by the NAACP and a Michigan group that advocates for low-income people, could proceed — in part because Sullivan found Trump’s actions to be so outrageous that the immunity that’s generally offered to presidents for actions taken in office can be pierced.
“If Former President Trump disrupted the certification of the electoral vote count, as Plaintiffs allege here, such actions would not constitute executive action in defense of the Constitution,” wrote U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan for the District of Columbia in a Monday ruling. “For these reasons, the Court concludes that Former President Trump is not immune from monetary damages in this suit.”
Sullivan cited an ongoing prosecution of a January 6 rioter allegedly affiliated with the Proud Boys in his ruling, stating what may seem obvious but apparently needs clarification: That a president “cannot, within the confines of his constitutional authority, prevent the constitutionally mandated certification of the results of a Presidential Election or encourage others to do so on his behalf, nor can he direct an assault on the coequal Legislative branch of government.”
Mark Meadows ordered to testify in Trump investigation, Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein, Politico, November 29, 2022.
South Carolina’s Supreme Court has unanimously ordered former White House Chief of staff Mark Meadows to testify to an Atlanta-area grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the election in Georgia.
“We have reviewed the arguments raised by [Meadows] and find them to be manifestly without merit,” South Carolina’s Supreme Court justices wrote in a brief opinion.
The decision affirmed a lower court’s ruling requiring Meadows to testify to the Fulton County grand jury investigation led by District Attorney Fani Willis. Meadows was initially scheduled to appear for testimony on Nov. 30, and it’s unclear if that appearance is still on track.
First on CNN: Top Trump adviser Stephen Miller testifies to January 6 federal grand jury, Katelyn Polantz and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN, November 29, 2022.
Former Trump adviser Stephen Miller testified on Tuesday to a federal grand jury in Washington, DC, as part of the January 6, 2021, investigation, CNN has learned, making him the first known witness to testify since the Justice Department appointed a special counsel to oversee the criminal investigations around the former president.
Miller was at the federal courthouse in downtown Washington for several hours throughout Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the investigation. January 6 lead prosecutor Thomas Windom was spotted at the same federal courthouse on Tuesday.
Windom is expected to join the newly created Special Counsel’s Office led by longtime public corruption prosecutor Jack Smith and will continue leading the investigation into former President Donald Trump’s role in efforts to impede the transfer of power following the 2020 election.
Kansas Judge Blocks State Ban On Prescribing Abortion Drugs Via Telemedicine, Hamed Ahmadi, HuffPost, November 29, 2022.
Judge Teresa L. Watson reinstated a temporary injunction to prohibit enforcement of the law, which is at the center of a lawsuit brought in 2019 by the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of a Wichita abortion clinic. The law required abortion-inducing drugs to be given to patients in the same room as the doctor who prescribed the medication, effectively banning telemedicine abortion services.
“This decision will further open up abortion care in Kansas at a time it’s urgently needed. In this post-Roe world, telemedicine can make the difference in being able to receive abortion care or not.” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement on Wednesday following the release of the court injunction.
Republicans in Disarray
McCarthy Keeps Up Weak MAGA Staring Contest: If You ‘Play Games’ Dems Will Pick Speaker For Us, Emine Yücel, Talking Points Memo, November 29, 2022.
“We have to speak as one voice. We will only be successful if we work together, or we’ll lose individually. This is very fragile — that we are the only stopgap for this Biden administration,” McCarthy said on Newsmax. “And if we don’t do this right, the Democrats can take the majority. If we play games on the floor, the Democrats can end up picking who the Speaker is.”✂️
McCarthy’s public warning is a shift in strategy – calling his far-right challengers’ bluff, after spending the last two weeks trying to woo them with various shiny objects. The California Republican now says he will do whatever it takes to be the next speaker. He reportedly has no plans to drop his bid and will force a floor vote — or multiple floor votes — if needed, according to Punchbowl News.
But this might come with the cost of further rupturing an already tense divide among House Republicans and could lead to a floor fight that hasn’t happened in a century — the last time a speakership bid included floor-fight drama was in 1923, when Rep. Frederick Gillett (R-MA) had to brawl with his own party members for two days to finally get reelected as speaker.
LOL, sweet schadenfreude:
GOP leaders can't get their stories straight over Trump's white nationalist dinner: report, Matthew Chapman, Raw Story, November 29, 2022.
On Tuesday, Axios reported that the top Republican leaders in Congress, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), are at odds with each other in their responses to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago dinner meeting with anti-Semitic rapper Kanye West and neo-Nazi podcaster Nick Fuentes.
"Although they both denounced him, McCarthy falsely claimed Trump condemned Fuentes, who often promotes racist and antisemitic conspiracy theories, after they met at Mar-a-Lago," reported Sareen Habeshian. "'I don't think anybody should be spending any time with Nick Fuentes,' McCarthy, a staunch Trump ally, said. 'He has no place in this Republican Party. I think President Trump came out four times and condemned him and didn't know who he was,' he continued."
Trump has not, in fact, condemned Fuentes since the meeting, only saying that he did not know who Fuentes was.
"Meanwhile, McConnell opened a press conference Tuesday saying, 'There is no room in the Republican Party for antisemitism or white supremacy, and anyone meeting with people advocating that point of view, in my judgment, are highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States,'" noted the report. This comes despite the fact that McConnell previously said he would support Trump again if he were the 2024 nominee — a question he dodged when asked again this week.
Trump’s dinner disaster sparks new rules for his campaign, Jill Colvin, AP, November 29, 2022.
In an acknowledgment of the severity of the backlash and an effort to prevent a repeat, Trump’s campaign is putting new protocols in place to ensure that those who meet with him are approved and fully vetted, according to people familiar with the plans who requested anonymity to share internal strategy. The changes will include expediting a system, borrowed from Trump’s White House, in which a senior campaign official will be present with him at all times, according to one of the people.
The decision follows the anger and handwringing from people close to Trump over how the former president became embroiled in scandal just two weeks after launching his third campaign for the White House under the cloud of numerous investigations. And it highlights their concerns about Trump’s vulnerability as GOP strategists and officials increasingly conclude that new leadership is the party’s best hope for winning in future elections.
“Republicans, we’re looking to 2024 and we’re looking for a winner,” said New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who blasted Trump’s dinner as “absolutely reprehensible.”
“I think it makes him even less electable in November of 2024,” he said.
🐩💙 CG’s Picks 💙🐩
Hello, Everybody! It’s me, Curlygirl! I have a few nice stories for you today. Let’s start off with two cool cats!
🦒🦒The next one is very cool. Usually the stories I like from Sheldrick Wildlife Trust are about elephants (and I might have one of those in a sec), but this first one is so cool I have to share it with you! Pilots spotted two giraffes stuck in an irrigation ditch and they sent ground crews to try to help them. But the mud was so bad due to some heavy rains that they couldn’t drive to the scene! So, then they decided to HIKE out to rescue the giraffes! And they did — in 40 degree (Celsius) weather! — and when they got there, they dug a ramp out of the walls of the trench and then encouraged the wild giraffes to go up the ramps to get out. Can you imagine all that work? What nice humans to help the giraffes like that!
🦌And THEN, just as they were going to hike back out and go home to cool off and maybe get a drink of water or something, they spotted a baby eland — also stuck in the ditch! So do you know what the team did? They took turns carrying the baby eland for miles back out to the jeep! That’s what I call dedication to caring for wild animals in distress!
Here’s their own account: Saving two giraffes - plus a surprise rescue! Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, November 22, 2022.
Baby eland is carried to safety.
It was time to activate plan B. With their shovels in hand, the team trekked through the mud to reach the giraffes. The trench was six feet deep, creating a trap even the world’s tallest animals couldn't escape from. The team excavated the walls, creating a ramp. Then, they coaxed the giraffes down the trench towards the ramp. The team walked behind them the entire length of the trench, guiding the giraffes to their emergency exit. But they weren’t alone! Two more giraffes were waiting up on solid ground and followed them from the outside, cheering their friends on as they made their triumphant exit.
The giraffes were freed, but the team’s work wasn’t done yet. When they initially walked into the trench, they saw that a small antelope was also stuck inside. They walked back to investigate — and realised it was actually an orphaned infant eland. Based on his emaciated and dehydrated state, he had been on his own for several days.
When grown, elands are among the largest species of antelope in the world. Luckily, this little chap was very much a baby. Each taking turns, the team scooped him up and carried him on their backs, knapsack style, for the 2.5-kilometre walk back to the cars.
Upon arriving at our Lali Field Base, on Galana, they gave him a bottle of rehydration, which he drank thirstily. Then, the orphaned eland hitched a ride with our pilot back to our Kaluku Field Headquarters. Although he still needs to put on condition, he is settling in well amongst the menagerie there. We have named him Billy.
🐕🦺 Look at this! A dog with a job! I think border collies are really the best working dogs. I would like to do a job, too, but I might also play a bit too much. oops 😁
🐘 And you know how me and Mama really like elephants? Well, here’s another story from the Sheldrick Trust (this organization is our very favorite one for rescuing elephant orphans). They’ve got a new orphan who is so little they can hardly believe it! I really like how much the humans care about the animals they look after. The keepers sleep by the babies and everything! 🥰🐘
The Rescue of Doldol, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, November 28, 2022.
Our Keepers and pilot have rescued dozens and dozens of orphaned elephants between them, but they were shocked by the tiny bundle before them. The calf was impossibly small, even for a newborn, barely hitting knee height. She had clearly not yet had her mother’s colostrum, which is so important to kickstart a baby’s immune system. As the team carefully bundled her into the plane, they wondered if she would even survive the flight down to our Kaluku Neonate Nursery. ✂️
Doldol with her loving caregiver, Mishak.
For a long time, Doldol was raised as an ‘only child’ — and she really embraced the role. She loved Mishak with her whole heart and became his little shadow, never letting him out of her sight. Initially, this even extended into the nighttime hours: After putting her to bed, Mishak tried to retire to the bunk bed perched above her stable. However, with a series of irate trumpets, Doldol made it clear that she wouldn’t accept him sleeping anywhere but by her side, so Mishak was forced to drag his bedroll down to ground level! (Fortunately, Doldol grew out of this after a few months.) ✂️
Around Kaluku, we call Doldol our little beetle. It is a fitting nickname in every sense: She is tiny, with adorable, protuberant eyes and perfectly round ears that are constantly flapping like wings. Even her demeanour is like an insect; she buzzes around with great purpose, always busy and investigating.
It is rare to be part of an elephant’s journey from the very, very beginning. Abandoned minutes out of the womb, Doldol defied the odds simply by surviving. Now, this miniature miracle has her whole life ahead of her.
❄️ Winter is coming!! 😃 Winter is my favorite season! I love the cold weather and I love snow! I saw this on the internets and it made me laugh. I don’t really want this to happen to Mama, but it is kind of funny all the same!
🐾💙 That’s all from me today. I hope you liked my stories! Bye for now! Luv, CG 💙🐾
🍺🥨 Bits ‘n’ Pieces 🍕🍷
Good news, everybody! If you like wine (I do!), now it’s even smarter to enjoy it!
Look how pretty (and what skill to create this in gingerbread!):
⚡️ Lightning RoundUp ⚡️
⚡️ Yer Wonkette: GOP Wonders If Party Is Out Of Touch? Or Are Women, Young People, And Voters Of Color Just All Wrong? Liz Dye, Wonkette, November 29, 2022.
⚡️ The essentials list: Andy Cohen’s tips to hosting a fabulous holiday party, Gillian Telling, CNN, November 29, 2022.
⚡️ This is a fantastic link to book reviews for several years in many categories: Books We Love-2022, NPR’s annual book review over 400 titles, NPR.com.
⚡️ Put an end to the squabbling: When should you put up Christmas lights? A new survey illuminates an evergreen debate, Adam Bearne, NPR, November 29, 2022.
⚡️ 35 holiday gifts under $50 you’ll wish you thought of sooner, CNN, November, 2022.
⚡️ Podcast: ICYMI: Trump’s Hell Week, Jackie Wilhelm, TPM (Podcast), November 29, 2022.
⚡️ Nancy Pelosi’s Next Chapter, John Nichols, theNation, November 25, 2022.
⚡️ LOL: Fox News says 'Hunter Biden's laptop' three times in a mirror and still, no one cares, Rebekah Sager, DKos, November 29, 2022.
💗 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! 🎩
Look what I found out on a walk last week! Yay Chicago!
The only way they can win is by keeping people from voting. They are working like heck to make that happen and we need to do all we can to keep 2022 from being a year when they grab the Senate and House back from us.
How do we do that? 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.
Making Good Trouble
On November 5, we started a fundraiser for Senator Raphael Warnock. Let's save the Senate and re-elect an incredible man!
If you plan to donate, sooner is better than later! Deadline December 6.
We’ve raised $5K toward our $5K goal! Now let’s aim for $10K. Thank you for your support!
About 15% of us readers and members of Daily Kos cannot donate money to anything (I’ve been there), but do what you can do, and if you want to join us, you can do this: Share this campaign on your social media. A single share could be worth more than your donation!
💙 RoundUp WindDown 💙
That’s it from me and CG for another Wednesday. Thanks for reading!
(Sorry I cannot add any music today except for the bit that was already in the draft from a few days ago. I’m having internet issues. My building just had an “upgrade” 🙄 — they’re coming back tomorrow to fix it — I hope!)
