American Politics Thread V: We're Just Biden Our Time ...

[San Lumen]

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says moving the MLB All-Star Game out of Georgia cost Atlanta's economy "100 million jobs"

(there are about 10.5 million people in Georgia)

Probably meant to say money?

Even then; it’s MLB being a bastard versus all the recent voter suppression laws and punishment law for handing out water and food.

I’m sure that’s what he meant but how about criticizing the law that sparked it?

[Major-Tom]

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says moving the MLB All-Star Game out of Georgia cost Atlanta's economy "100 million jobs"

(there are about 10.5 million people in Georgia)

He's like 88 and not known for strong mental acuity at this point. Par for the course.

[The Alma Mater]

Did she now? Your evidence?

Should we charge the ex-president for encouraging the insurrection?

That was proven wrong in the impeachment trial.

Eehm, no - he was found guilty. His cronies just refused to punish him.

[Ifreann]

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says moving the MLB All-Star Game out of Georgia cost Atlanta's economy "100 million jobs"

(there are about 10.5 million people in Georgia)

He's like 88 and not known for strong mental acuity at this point. Par for the course.

Everyone in Georgia has ten jobs.

[Senkaku]

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says moving the MLB All-Star Game out of Georgia cost Atlanta's economy "100 million jobs"

(there are about 10.5 million people in Georgia)

it's an open secret that him and Feinstein are totally out of it and basically completely rely on their staffs at this point

[San Lumen]

https://www.pjstar.com/story/news/polit ... 294516002/

Rita Ali will be next mayor of Peoria, Illinois becoming the first woman and first black mayor of the city. She won by only 43 votes so don't tell me one vote doesn't matter. The election will be certified tonight.

[Major-Tom]

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says moving the MLB All-Star Game out of Georgia cost Atlanta's economy "100 million jobs"

(there are about 10.5 million people in Georgia)

it's an open secret that him and Feinstein are totally out of it and basically completely rely on their staffs at this point

Pretty much this. I'm amazed, frankly, that the Iowa GOP (shitty as they are) is letting him run in 2022 for another six year term.

[Exalted Inquellian State]

That was proven wrong in the impeachment trial.

Eehm, no - he was found guilty. His cronies just refused to punish him.

The trial lasted four days, and a few republicans who didn't even want to have him convicted did convict, and it was still not enough. It'd take ten other Republican senators to convict him, and given the fact all the ones who said the trial was constitutional voted to convict, I find it unlikely there were that many.

[Kowani]

another day, another border crackdown

[Major-Tom]

another day, another border crackdown
(Image)

AZ does this every few odd years to stir the pot. It's shitty, but often doesn't result in much other than petty partisan grandstanding.

[Shrillland]

If you haven't looked over on the designated thread, this is just a update, Derek Chauvin was found Guilty on all three counts against him....and I am just as surprised as you probably are.

[Kowani]

Montana Dems sue state over new voting restrictions

Montana Democrats sued the secretary of state late Monday after Montana passed restrictive new voting measures targeting same-day voter registration and voter ID rules, the latest in a series of clashes nationwide over voting rights as GOP-led states move to enact new restrictions following the November election. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed two voting bills into law Monday, which prohibit registering to vote on Election Day—a practice more than 60,000 voters in the state have done between 2006 and 2018 alone—and ending a previous rule that allowed students to use their student ID to vote, now requiring a second form of identification.

The Montana Democratic Party sued state Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen in state court seeking to overturn the new measures, arguing they pose an illegal undue burden on people’s right to vote, particularly young voters and those who commonly take advantage of same-day voter registration like the elderly, disabled and Indigenous communities. The change to the student identification rules came after the state saw turnout among voters ages 18-29 increase by 40% during the November election, the lawsuit notes, and the state saw its highest overall voter turnout in November since 1972.

Montana is now the third state to face litigation over recently imposed voter restrictions, following a lawsuit filed by civil rights groups in Iowa and multiple lawsuits targeting sweeping voting restrictions in Georgia.
The new Montana laws “are not driven by any legitimate or credible concerns about the ‘integrity’ of the state’s elections,” the lawsuit argues. “Instead, they represent the latest round of legislative shadowboxing aimed at imaginary threats to election integrity, and false accusations of election fraud orchestrated by those seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, now weaponized by the Legislature to impede access to the franchise.”

Jacobsen’s office has not yet responded to a request for comment, but Montana Republicans have insisted the voting measures were necessary to restore election integrity despite a lack of evidence showing any voter fraud in the state. “Montana has a long history of secure, transparent elections, setting a standard for the nation,” Gianforte said in a statement when the laws were signed Monday. “These new laws will help ensure the continued integrity of Montana’s elections for years to come.”

[San Lumen]

https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/ne ... wednesday/

Rita Ali apparent winner of Peoria, IL mayor election by 43 votes. opponent Jim Montelongo asking for a recount.

[Zhong-guo]

White House endorses Washington DC statehood bill

[San Lumen]

https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local ... 7a33a5a730

Tishaura Jones has been sworn in as the first black woman to serve as Mayor of St. Louis.

[San Lumen]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/nyre ... ation.html

Cuomo facing criminal investigation by AG Tish James into allegations that he used state resources to help write and publicize his book praising his own actions during the pandemic.

[Eahland]

Uh--oh, Harris just stumbled. Countdown to right-wing propaganda organs painting her as senile and decrepit in 5... 4... 3...

[San Lumen]

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politic ... 90304.html

A Missouri House committee has recommended Lee’s Summit Rep. Rick Roeber be expelled from office after finding that he sexually and physically abused his now-adult children when they were young.

Roeber not only abused his kids but drowned several puppies.

[Kowani]

USDA announces free lunches for all students through 2021-22 school year

The United States Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday it would extend universal free lunch through the 2021-2022 school year, in an effort to reach more of the estimated 12 million youths experiencing food insecurity. In March, the USDA said these waivers, which made school meals more flexible to administer, would be extended only to Sept. 30, leaving schools and families uncertain about what next school year might look like. Child nutrition program waivers, which aimed to cut through red tape to allow kids to eat free even outside normal meal times, were implemented at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, at a time when millions of families faced financial strain, hunger and hardship. The waivers allowed schools and community organizations to adapt programs to better meet the needs of children and families.

The waivers allowed all children to eat free and outside of the traditional group settings and mealtimes. They also allowed parents to do curbside pickup of multiple days of food at once for students learning from home, even without the children’s presence, and in many cases for meals to be dropped off at a student’s home if they continue to learn virtually part- or full-time.

USDA announces free school meals for youths through summer
“States and districts wanted waivers extended to plan for safe reopening in the fall. USDA answered the call to help America’s schools and childcare institutions serve high quality meals while being responsive to their local needs as children safely return to their regular routines,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “This action also increases the reimbursement rate to school meal operators so they can serve healthy foods to our kids. It’s a win-win for kids, parents and schools.”

According to Lisa Davis, a senior vice president at Share Our Strength, a charity combating hunger, the announcement is also important for schools and community organizations, giving them time to plan and budget for next year.

“We are so appreciative they made this announcement with so much lead time so schools can plan their programs. Last year there was uncertainty, and it was more chaotic than it needed to be,” Davis said. She said that the waivers reimburse schools for meals at the summer rate, which is higher than the rate during the regular school year. This is a significant help to school districts that have run a deficit during the pandemic due to increased operating costs associated with safety protocols and packing up meals to go.

Should all American kids get a free school lunch? The pandemic might make that a reality.
During the 2020-2021 school year, the waivers allowed the reimbursement rate to schools to be increased from $3.60 per lunch served at the free rate to the summer rate of $4.25 per meal. This increase has helped schools pay for higher costs for boxes and bags for to-go options, for increased transportation and labor costs, and for bringing in temporary support and providing PPE. The reimbursement rates for the next school year’s national school lunch program haven’t been announced yet.

Diane Pratt-Heavner, director of media relations for the School Nutrition Association, the trade group for school food-service manufacturers and professionals, said the waiver extensions are a “lifesaver” from a number of perspectives.

“Schools aren’t going to have to scramble to collect applications from families that are eligible,” she said. “At the start of every school year, this is a huge task for administrators to collect and process the applications, a task made bigger because during the pandemic there are more families eligible who may never have applied before.”

She said the waivers allow for fewer “touch points” and more social distancing, including not requiring eligible kids to punch in a pin on a keypad with their fingers. And because a lot of schools have been serving students in the classrooms, the waiver extension means teachers won’t suddenly be required to keep track of which of their students is eligible.

The waivers also provide flexibility on the types of foods served to address ongoing supply chain issues, disruptions and procurement challenges. But Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary of the USDA, said the agency’s expectation is that schools will return to established nutrition standards and that schools need to demonstrate that they needed added flexibilities because of supply chain or cost problems.

Kids could go hungry this summer with school lunch programs in peril
“The goal is to meet the nutrition standards where they can. We know this works — it’s evidence-based,” Dean said, pointing to a pre-pandemic Tufts University study that found Americans eat food mostly of poor nutritional quality except at school.

Dean says that the agency is using its authority now to respond to the pandemic and that whether universal free lunch is extended beyond the pandemic is “a legislative question.”

[Postauthoritarian America]

...

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

[Kowani]

House passes Marijuana Banking Bill

For the second time in less than two years, the United States House of Representatives has passed a bill that would protect banks and financial institutions that serve state-legal marijuana businesses.

Because of the plant's federal prohibition, much of the marijuana industry is forced to operate in cash or pay high service fees to banks willing to serve them at risk of federal enforcement actions. Again introduced by Representative Ed Perlmutter, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act would prevent federal enforcement against banks providing bank accounts, lines of credit, loans and other financial services to marijuana and hemp businesses.
[...]
There's already been some groundwork laid in the Senate for the SAFE Banking Act, with senators Jeff Merkley (a Democrat) and Steve Daines (a Republican) introducing the bill there in March. It has 32 co-sponsors so far, but hasn't gotten a date for a committee hearing — and could hit another delay as Schumer pushes his own legislation that would end federal marijuana prohibition.

[Great Algerstonia]

If you haven't looked over on the designated thread, this is just a update, Derek Chauvin was found Guilty on all three counts against him....and I am just as surprised as you probably are.

I mean it really isnt surprising at all.

[Exalted Inquellian State]

Hey, remember when Wikipedia made a 2028 election article?

[San Lumen]

Montana Dems sue state over new voting restrictions

Montana Democrats sued the secretary of state late Monday after Montana passed restrictive new voting measures targeting same-day voter registration and voter ID rules, the latest in a series of clashes nationwide over voting rights as GOP-led states move to enact new restrictions following the November election. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed two voting bills into law Monday, which prohibit registering to vote on Election Day—a practice more than 60,000 voters in the state have done between 2006 and 2018 alone—and ending a previous rule that allowed students to use their student ID to vote, now requiring a second form of identification.

The Montana Democratic Party sued state Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen in state court seeking to overturn the new measures, arguing they pose an illegal undue burden on people’s right to vote, particularly young voters and those who commonly take advantage of same-day voter registration like the elderly, disabled and Indigenous communities. The change to the student identification rules came after the state saw turnout among voters ages 18-29 increase by 40% during the November election, the lawsuit notes, and the state saw its highest overall voter turnout in November since 1972.

Montana is now the third state to face litigation over recently imposed voter restrictions, following a lawsuit filed by civil rights groups in Iowa and multiple lawsuits targeting sweeping voting restrictions in Georgia.
The new Montana laws “are not driven by any legitimate or credible concerns about the ‘integrity’ of the state’s elections,” the lawsuit argues. “Instead, they represent the latest round of legislative shadowboxing aimed at imaginary threats to election integrity, and false accusations of election fraud orchestrated by those seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, now weaponized by the Legislature to impede access to the franchise.”

Jacobsen’s office has not yet responded to a request for comment, but Montana Republicans have insisted the voting measures were necessary to restore election integrity despite a lack of evidence showing any voter fraud in the state. “Montana has a long history of secure, transparent elections, setting a standard for the nation,” Gianforte said in a statement when the laws were signed Monday. “These new laws will help ensure the continued integrity of Montana’s elections for years to come.”

Hopefully the law is overturned in court.

[Cisairse]

Bob Menendez, a man supported by precisely 0 residents of his home state, has now appointed himself the god-emperor of blue state legislators in his role as crusader of the SALT Caucus.