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

[Kowani]

Connecticut has decided that prisoners should no longer have to pay for getting to talk to the outside world

[Ah General Kenobi]

i can get on board with that if only 1/2 of capital gains is taxed while the other 1/2 isnt

Ok, we tax capital gains on the top half of income earners at ordinary rates, and leave it entirely exempt on the bottom half.

Condition met.

good joke but no. biden is already almost doubling which when coupled with the surtax will push it up to over 43%. i'm okie dokie within 45% maybe up to 50% in rough times. after that though i start needing some incentives.

[Kowani]

CDC panel votes to resume using Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.


in addition, the panel discussed that women 50 years old and younger be made aware of the blood clot risk and reminded that they could choose another vaccine that doesn’t carry the rare risk.

That information will likely be added to the instructions and fact sheets for the J&J vaccine.

[Kilobugya]

They did try a wealth tax in France.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidarity_tax_on_wealth

And they stopped, because it sucked.

Yes we did. But we didn't stop because it "sucked" - we stopped because our president is a former investment banker who is very cozy with all the ultra-rich. ISF worked well, collected billions a year for the state with virtually no harm done to anyone who couldn't easily afford it. And putting back ISF was one of the main reasons for the Yellow Vest protests.

I agree it's complicated to do in USA because it's not really allowed by the Constitution. But it's a very good thing to do, when possible.

[North Washington Republic]

They did try a wealth tax in France.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidarity_tax_on_wealth

And they stopped, because it sucked.

Yes we did. But we didn't stop because it "sucked" - we stopped because our president is a former investment banker who is very cozy with all the ultra-rich. ISF worked well, collected billions a year for the state with virtually no harm done to anyone who couldn't easily afford it. And putting back ISF was one of the main reasons for the Yellow Vest protests.

I agree it's complicated to do in USA because it's not really allowed by the Constitution. But it's a very good thing to do, when possible.

You have an AWESOME President. Macron is an anti-populist and a centrist, my dream politician.

[North Washington Republic]

CDC panel votes to resume using Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.


in addition, the panel discussed that women 50 years old and younger be made aware of the blood clot risk and reminded that they could choose another vaccine that doesn’t carry the rare risk.

That information will likely be added to the instructions and fact sheets for the J&J vaccine.

Hopefully, with J&J’s one dose vaccine being resumed, it will get more people getting vaccinated. The one dose vaccine is very beneficial for those that have mobility issues(like disabled non-drivers like me), and those that lack access to healthcare.

[Kowani]

Gaetz is now being investigated
for corruption in regards to...paid escorts in the Bahamas in order to shift his position on medical marijuana

Federal authorities are looking into whether a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and several young women was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section are examining whether Gaetz took gifts, including travel and paid escorts, in exchange for political favors, the sources said.
As part of an ongoing probe into Gaetz, investigators are examining whether he engaged in a relationship with a girl that began when she was 17. In pursuing evidence of potential public corruption, sources tell CNN that investigators are also scrutinizing Gaetz's connections to medical marijuana, both in terms of legislation he's sponsored and his connections to people involved in the industry, searching for so-called pay-to-play arrangements.
Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug, both as a state representative in Florida and as a member of Congress. A number of his close associates have ties to the industry, including Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and has in past news coverage in Florida been described as a "marijuana investor." According to reports, Pirozzolo accompanied Gaetz on the 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing. Neither Gaetz nor Pirozzolo has been accused by Justice Department officials of wrongdoing or charged with a crime.

[Kilobugya]

You have an AWESOME President. Macron is an anti-populist and a centrist, my dream politician.

That's what Macron pretends to be - or pretended to be in 2017 at least. He has absolutely nothing of a centrist, he governs between the right and the extreme-right, and he completely abandoned all posture of anti-populist when he started using "but look, a Muslism there !" as an decoy every single time he tries to push a highly unpopular economical reform that favors the ultra-rich.

Macron is the one banning people from filming the police, he's the one who repressed peaceful protests very violently mutilating dozens and badly wounding hundred, bringing the violence of repression to a level (according to the people I know who lived through it) not seen since Algeria war.

He also utterly failed the Covid response again and again, trying to save the economy at the expense of lives, but ending up destroying both the economy and lives, managing the feat to impose us heavy restrictions for months and yet utterly fail to control the virus, because he's sooooo smart that he refuses to listen to his scientific advisors. And because advanced planing is something only evil Bolcheviks do, so he does everything at a whim and in emergency with no strategy at all.

Sorry for derailing the US politics thread, but really Macron is the worse president we have had since the end of WW2. By far.

[Salus Maior]

Gaetz is now being investigated
for corruption in regards to...paid escorts in the Bahamas in order to shift his position on medical marijuana

Federal authorities are looking into whether a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and several young women was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section are examining whether Gaetz took gifts, including travel and paid escorts, in exchange for political favors, the sources said.
As part of an ongoing probe into Gaetz, investigators are examining whether he engaged in a relationship with a girl that began when she was 17. In pursuing evidence of potential public corruption, sources tell CNN that investigators are also scrutinizing Gaetz's connections to medical marijuana, both in terms of legislation he's sponsored and his connections to people involved in the industry, searching for so-called pay-to-play arrangements.
Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug, both as a state representative in Florida and as a member of Congress. A number of his close associates have ties to the industry, including Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and has in past news coverage in Florida been described as a "marijuana investor." According to reports, Pirozzolo accompanied Gaetz on the 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing. Neither Gaetz nor Pirozzolo has been accused by Justice Department officials of wrongdoing or charged with a crime.

You know, Gaetz is sounding more and more like that one caricature of a sleazy politician from Parks and Rec (can’t remember his name)

[Borderlands of Rojava]

Yes we did. But we didn't stop because it "sucked" - we stopped because our president is a former investment banker who is very cozy with all the ultra-rich. ISF worked well, collected billions a year for the state with virtually no harm done to anyone who couldn't easily afford it. And putting back ISF was one of the main reasons for the Yellow Vest protests.

I agree it's complicated to do in USA because it's not really allowed by the Constitution. But it's a very good thing to do, when possible.

You have an AWESOME President. Macron is an anti-populist and a centrist, my dream politician.

He also let's the police abuse everyone's rights and wanted to raise a gas tax on struggling working class French people, triggering the yellow vests. But thank God he spited the alleged extremists.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Gaetz is now being investigated
for corruption in regards to...paid escorts in the Bahamas in order to shift his position on medical marijuana

Federal authorities are looking into whether a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and several young women was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section are examining whether Gaetz took gifts, including travel and paid escorts, in exchange for political favors, the sources said.
As part of an ongoing probe into Gaetz, investigators are examining whether he engaged in a relationship with a girl that began when she was 17. In pursuing evidence of potential public corruption, sources tell CNN that investigators are also scrutinizing Gaetz's connections to medical marijuana, both in terms of legislation he's sponsored and his connections to people involved in the industry, searching for so-called pay-to-play arrangements.
Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug, both as a state representative in Florida and as a member of Congress. A number of his close associates have ties to the industry, including Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and has in past news coverage in Florida been described as a "marijuana investor." According to reports, Pirozzolo accompanied Gaetz on the 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing. Neither Gaetz nor Pirozzolo has been accused by Justice Department officials of wrongdoing or charged with a crime.

At this point are we sure Matt Gaetz is even a real person and not, like, the physical manifestation of the average Americans perception of a DC politician lol

[Borderlands of Rojava]

Gaetz is now being investigated
for corruption in regards to...paid escorts in the Bahamas in order to shift his position on medical marijuana

Federal authorities are looking into whether a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and several young women was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section are examining whether Gaetz took gifts, including travel and paid escorts, in exchange for political favors, the sources said.
As part of an ongoing probe into Gaetz, investigators are examining whether he engaged in a relationship with a girl that began when she was 17. In pursuing evidence of potential public corruption, sources tell CNN that investigators are also scrutinizing Gaetz's connections to medical marijuana, both in terms of legislation he's sponsored and his connections to people involved in the industry, searching for so-called pay-to-play arrangements.
Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug, both as a state representative in Florida and as a member of Congress. A number of his close associates have ties to the industry, including Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and has in past news coverage in Florida been described as a "marijuana investor." According to reports, Pirozzolo accompanied Gaetz on the 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing. Neither Gaetz nor Pirozzolo has been accused by Justice Department officials of wrongdoing or charged with a crime.

At this point are we sure Matt Gaetz is even a real person and not, like, the physical manifestation of the average Americans perception of a DC politician lol

Matt Gaetz did watergate.

[Shrillland]

Gaetz is now being investigated
for corruption in regards to...paid escorts in the Bahamas in order to shift his position on medical marijuana

Federal authorities are looking into whether a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and several young women was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section are examining whether Gaetz took gifts, including travel and paid escorts, in exchange for political favors, the sources said.
As part of an ongoing probe into Gaetz, investigators are examining whether he engaged in a relationship with a girl that began when she was 17. In pursuing evidence of potential public corruption, sources tell CNN that investigators are also scrutinizing Gaetz's connections to medical marijuana, both in terms of legislation he's sponsored and his connections to people involved in the industry, searching for so-called pay-to-play arrangements.
Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug, both as a state representative in Florida and as a member of Congress. A number of his close associates have ties to the industry, including Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and has in past news coverage in Florida been described as a "marijuana investor." According to reports, Pirozzolo accompanied Gaetz on the 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing. Neither Gaetz nor Pirozzolo has been accused by Justice Department officials of wrongdoing or charged with a crime.

At this point are we sure Matt Gaetz is even a real person and not, like, the physical manifestation of the average Americans perception of a DC politician lol

Well, he has two legs, speaks a lot, and lives near the water. He's either a person or a particularly intelligent Muscovy duck. I'm leaning towards him being a duck myself.

[Kowani]

In Knox County (Tennessee), judges have been running illegal bail practices by requiring money bail without a hearing for years-and may end up leaving the citizens with the bill

Despite years of warnings that bail practices in Knox County violated the rights of the accused and state law, judges still are requiring accused citizens to fork out money for freedom, an ongoing Knox News investigation has found.

Now two national organizations have slammed the judges and demanded they offer those who are "unable to purchase their freedom" the protections given to them in the constitution.

If the judges don't change their practices of defaulting to requiring bail money before a trial, taxpayers could be on the hook for millions of dollars in legal fees and lawsuit damage awards, the newspaper has learned.

Attorneys with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Civil Rights Corps, nonprofits groups that protect the rights of the poor, have filed notice they intend to sue Knox County if its judges don’t change their ways. “We would prefer to work collaboratively with you to address our concerns about Knox County’s bail practices,” a letter to Knox County officeholders stated. “However, we will explore all our options if immediate steps are not taken to bring Knox County’s bail practices in line with state law and the federal Constitution.”

Knox County’s judges have been on legal notice since at least 2005 that the practice of requiring money bail without a hearing violates Tennessee law, the newspaper’s investigation shows. They’ve known since December a federal judge has declared the practice both violates the U.S. Constitution and is illegal under Tennessee law. The Civil Rights Corp and another nonprofit have already sued Hamblen County – where similar illegal bail practices are employed – and won an order requiring the judge there to quit his law breaking. CRC and SPLC attorneys have been collecting evidence of bail wrongdoing in Knox County since at least 2017, records show.

Knox News in February revealed the findings of its months-long investigation of bail practices statewide. The newspaper’s probe presented further proof Knox County’s bail practices violated state law and the U.S. Constitution.

Yet, the county’s sessions judges have continued to violate the law daily, the newspaper’s probe shows. Neither the county’s top prosecutor nor the county’s elected defender of the poor has sought to challenge the illegal practices. “In Knox County, hundreds of presumptively innocent people languish in pretrial detention every day solely because they are unable to purchase their freedom,” the nonprofits’ attorneys wrote in the lawsuit warning letter. “Because of these practices, every year hundreds of people agree to uncounseled pleas simply to get out of jail.”

Knox News has repeatedly sought to question Knox County’s five sessions judges on their bail practices, but the quintet has maintained silence. Alerted by the newspaper that a lawsuit over their bail practices was imminent, the judges issued a joint statement late last week.

They promised to take a look at their practices but are still insisting they aren’t breaking the law by failing to hold hearings before setting a money bail – despite a stack of evidence produced by both Knox News and the two nonprofits showing otherwise.

“All of the Knox County sessions judges are committed to protecting the constitutional and statutory rights of every person who is accused at every stage of the criminal justice process, as well as victims and witnesses,” the statement read.

“We have and will continue to examine and re-examine our processes to ensure that we handle bonding matters (and every matter) in a way that is fair and just under the law,” the statement continued. “We are committed to these values, and we will adjust our processes if we discover that change is needed. Thank you for your attention to these very serious matters.” Southern Poverty Law Center attorney Micah West said he and his colleagues spent more than two years investigating and observing bail practices in Knox County. They found plenty wrong, despite the judges’ claims to the contrary.

“There’s no explanation as to why the specific (money) bail amounts are set,” West said. “We asked (magistrates) and … (one) guy licked his finger, pointed to the sky and said he was pulling the number out of thin air.”

The county pays five judicial magistrates to issue arrest warrants and handle initial bail settings in the place of the five judges, who later “review” bail decisions. The magistrates follow bail practices set by the judges and never even see the accused when deciding what bail price tag to put on pretrial freedom, the newspaper’s review shows. West said he and his colleagues interviewed prosecutors as part of their investigation – putting Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen on notice the county’s bail practices were flawed. Knox News’ probe shows neither Allen nor her predecessor sought to address it.

Allen declined an interview request and instead issued a statement last week through a spokesman.

“I am constantly working to protect the safeguards afforded by our Constitution, safeguards that protect the rights of both defendants and victims of crime,” the statement read. “I am currently meeting with other Knox County stakeholders to specifically review bond practices.”

It is the job of an elected public defender to seek to ensure the poor are not being illegally detained or their rights violated.

Despite years of illegal bond practices in Knox County, neither current Knox County Public Defender Eric Lutton nor his predecessor sought to directly challenge judges on behalf of the poor.Even now, with a federal court order flatly declaring bail practices similar to those used in Knox County as illegal, Lutton has not been instructing his staff attorneys to seek bail hearings on behalf of clients who have been denied them or otherwise seek to challenge the judges’ bail policy.

Lutton concedes he knows Knox County’s bail practices are illegal but says he has been unwilling to go to legal war with judges over it because his clients may suffer retaliation as a result. Instead, he said he hoped for a “cooperative” solution that, so far, hasn’t happened. “It does appear that some changes need to be made in local bail practices in order to protect the rights of the citizens of Knox County,” Lutton said in a statement. “(Bringing change) will be a priority of mine until this is resolved.”

West said he and his colleagues also hope Knox County’s judges will change their ways without a lawsuit forcing them to do so. But he’s skeptical – especially after observing judges offer the poor freedom in return for pleading guilty without evidence or a lawyer.

“I think one of the most disturbing things we saw was (poor) people are given a choice between getting a public defender and staying in jail for up to two weeks for a hearing or (pleading guilty and) going free on time served,” West said. “The practices are very coercive. It turns our ideas about justice upside down.”

Knox County’s sessions judges are not alone in their practices. A Knox News probe revealed sessions judges across the state are daily forcing people too poor to pay a money bail to stay jailed pending trial in violation of the state’s 1978 bail laws.

[North Washington Republic]

Gaetz is now being investigated
for corruption in regards to...paid escorts in the Bahamas in order to shift his position on medical marijuana

Federal authorities are looking into whether a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and several young women was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section are examining whether Gaetz took gifts, including travel and paid escorts, in exchange for political favors, the sources said.
As part of an ongoing probe into Gaetz, investigators are examining whether he engaged in a relationship with a girl that began when she was 17. In pursuing evidence of potential public corruption, sources tell CNN that investigators are also scrutinizing Gaetz's connections to medical marijuana, both in terms of legislation he's sponsored and his connections to people involved in the industry, searching for so-called pay-to-play arrangements.
Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug, both as a state representative in Florida and as a member of Congress. A number of his close associates have ties to the industry, including Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and has in past news coverage in Florida been described as a "marijuana investor." According to reports, Pirozzolo accompanied Gaetz on the 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing. Neither Gaetz nor Pirozzolo has been accused by Justice Department officials of wrongdoing or charged with a crime.

You know, Gaetz is sounding more and more like that one caricature of a sleazy politician from Parks and Rec (can’t remember his name)

Gaetz is a product of his environment. He grew up rich and spoiled AF.

[Major-Tom]

Gaetz is now being investigated
for corruption in regards to...paid escorts in the Bahamas in order to shift his position on medical marijuana

Federal authorities are looking into whether a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and several young women was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section are examining whether Gaetz took gifts, including travel and paid escorts, in exchange for political favors, the sources said.
As part of an ongoing probe into Gaetz, investigators are examining whether he engaged in a relationship with a girl that began when she was 17. In pursuing evidence of potential public corruption, sources tell CNN that investigators are also scrutinizing Gaetz's connections to medical marijuana, both in terms of legislation he's sponsored and his connections to people involved in the industry, searching for so-called pay-to-play arrangements.
Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug, both as a state representative in Florida and as a member of Congress. A number of his close associates have ties to the industry, including Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and has in past news coverage in Florida been described as a "marijuana investor." According to reports, Pirozzolo accompanied Gaetz on the 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing. Neither Gaetz nor Pirozzolo has been accused by Justice Department officials of wrongdoing or charged with a crime.

At this point are we sure Matt Gaetz is even a real person and not, like, the physical manifestation of the average Americans perception of a DC politician lol

He is the epitome of a "Florida Man."

[Kowani]

Gaetz is now being investigated
for corruption in regards to...paid escorts in the Bahamas in order to shift his position on medical marijuana

Federal authorities are looking into whether a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and several young women was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section are examining whether Gaetz took gifts, including travel and paid escorts, in exchange for political favors, the sources said.
As part of an ongoing probe into Gaetz, investigators are examining whether he engaged in a relationship with a girl that began when she was 17. In pursuing evidence of potential public corruption, sources tell CNN that investigators are also scrutinizing Gaetz's connections to medical marijuana, both in terms of legislation he's sponsored and his connections to people involved in the industry, searching for so-called pay-to-play arrangements.
Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug, both as a state representative in Florida and as a member of Congress. A number of his close associates have ties to the industry, including Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and has in past news coverage in Florida been described as a "marijuana investor." According to reports, Pirozzolo accompanied Gaetz on the 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing. Neither Gaetz nor Pirozzolo has been accused by Justice Department officials of wrongdoing or charged with a crime.

Note: Matt Gaetz sits on the House Judiciary Committee, which has oversight over the Department of Justice doing the investigating

[San Lumen]

https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2 ... ssion=true

Michigan Patriot Party one step closer to a spot on the ballot. The Board of State Canvassers approved petition language Thursday for the potential party to start gathering signatures for future certification.

The board’s four members voted unanimously to approve the language. The Michigan Patriot Party has to collect 42,506 petition signatures to be submitted to the secretary of state for review.

The Michigan Patriot Party not only needs to collect the 42,000-plus signatures, but organizers also need to collect 100 signatures from each of at least half of the state’s 83 counties and gather all valid signatures within a 180-day window.

[North Washington Republic]

https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/04/michigan-patriot-party-one-step-closer-to-a-spot-on-the-ballot.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

Michigan Patriot Party one step closer to a spot on the ballot. The Board of State Canvassers approved petition language Thursday for the potential party to start gathering signatures for future certification.

The board’s four members voted unanimously to approve the language. The Michigan Patriot Party has to collect 42,506 petition signatures to be submitted to the secretary of state for review.

The Michigan Patriot Party not only needs to collect the 42,000-plus signatures, but organizers also need to collect 100 signatures from each of at least half of the state’s 83 counties and gather all valid signatures within a 180-day window.

Great, this is split the right-wing vote in Michigan, and will ensure Democratic victories.

[San Lumen]

https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/04/michigan-patriot-party-one-step-closer-to-a-spot-on-the-ballot.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

Michigan Patriot Party one step closer to a spot on the ballot. The Board of State Canvassers approved petition language Thursday for the potential party to start gathering signatures for future certification.

The board’s four members voted unanimously to approve the language. The Michigan Patriot Party has to collect 42,506 petition signatures to be submitted to the secretary of state for review.

The Michigan Patriot Party not only needs to collect the 42,000-plus signatures, but organizers also need to collect 100 signatures from each of at least half of the state’s 83 counties and gather all valid signatures within a 180-day window.

Great, this is split the right-wing vote in Michigan, and will ensure Democratic victories.

which is why i hope they make the ballot.

[San Lumen]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/20/politics ... index.html

On Tuesday, Tishaura Jones was sworn in as the first Black female mayor of St. Louis after winning the election earlier this month. Her victory came just two weeks after Kim Janey was appointed Boston's first Black female mayor following the resignation of Marty Walsh, who is now the US Labor Secretary. Janey recently announced she would run for a full term in this year's mayoral election.

With the ascension of Jones and Janey, there will be a historic high of nine Black women serving as mayors of the nation's 100 largest cities. Other major cities led by Black women include Atlanta, San Francisco; Chicago; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; New Orleans; Washington, DC; and Charlotte, North Carolina.

[The Black Forrest]

https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/04/michigan-patriot-party-one-step-closer-to-a-spot-on-the-ballot.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

Michigan Patriot Party one step closer to a spot on the ballot. The Board of State Canvassers approved petition language Thursday for the potential party to start gathering signatures for future certification.

The board’s four members voted unanimously to approve the language. The Michigan Patriot Party has to collect 42,506 petition signatures to be submitted to the secretary of state for review.

The Michigan Patriot Party not only needs to collect the 42,000-plus signatures, but organizers also need to collect 100 signatures from each of at least half of the state’s 83 counties and gather all valid signatures within a 180-day window.

And here I was thinking it was the group from the 70's....

[Kowani]

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) vetoes 2 GOP bills that would strip executive & judicial branch officials of the power to make emergency election changes without legislative approval & restrict who may turn in someone else's mail ballot on their behalf

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed two election bills Friday, one that would tighten advance mailing rules and another that sought to prevent the executive and judicial branches from altering election laws.

Kelly, a Democrat who had been silent about the changes proposed by the GOP supermajority, issued a statement labeling them as “voter suppression.”

“This...is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. It is designed to disenfranchise Kansans, making it difficult for them to participate in the democratic process, not to stop voter fraud,” Kelly said. Both measures passed the Senate with a veto-proof majority. But they will need four additional votes in the House for limitations on advance voting to become law and one more to override Kelly’s veto on limits to executive and judicial authority.

Rep. Blake Carpenter, a Derby Republican and chair of the House elections committee, said he believed Kansans would be reaching out to their representatives ahead of potential override votes.

“I think our citizens are looking at these other states and really questioning the validity and the trustworthiness of what occurred,” Carpenter said. “We need to do the best we can here in the state of Kansas to make sure that every time Republicans and Democrats can trust the results of our elections.”

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab has reported that Kansas had “free and fair” elections last year. Proponents say they are seeking to head off future problems.

“When you are trying to ensure election integrity it’s disappointing when the governor decides to veto,” said Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, a Galena Republican. “We are supposed to be proactive and if we see instances where there could be and we can do a better job of ensuring election integrity then we should be doing that.”

Opponents said the measures, especially one limiting how many advance ballots someone can return on behalf of other voters, will serve to make voting more difficult especially for the disabled and elderly.

“These election bills are designed to disproportionately harm elderly Kansans, college students, and members of the military trying to exercise their right to vote. Furthermore, they continue a dangerous trend of taking away powers from other elected officials,” House Majority Leader Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita, said in a statement applauding the governor’s decision.

House Bill 2332 prohibits the executive and judicial branches of government from creating election laws. It also prevents the Secretary of State from entering into consent decrees with a court without legislative approval.

The measures were triggered by decisions in two states pivotal to the 2020 elections.

One was the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to extend the due date for mail ballots. The other was a consent decree entered into by the Georgia secretary of state to establish standards for checking signatures on ballots. A lawsuit alleged that ballots of Black voters were being disproportionately disqualified. The mail ballot bill also creates disclosure requirements for organizations distributing information about mail-in voting. It mandates the Secretary of State to maintain residential addresses in addition to mailing addresses of voters. It also creates new election tampering crimes.

The residential address requirements stem an election fraud charge brought against former U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins who listed his home address as a UPS store.

House Bill 2183 focuses largely on mail-in voting. It limits who is permitted to return a mail-in ballot for another person and makes it a misdemeanor for one person to return more than 10 mail-in ballots. The measure also requires the signature on a mail ballot to match the signature election officials have on file, creating a potential for votes to be discarded, and bans the Secretary of State from extending mail-in vote deadlines.

The bill also makes it illegal to backdate a postmark on a ballot and bars election offices from accepting money from any entity other than the state for administering elections.

[San Lumen]

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) vetoes 2 GOP bills that would strip executive & judicial branch officials of the power to make emergency election changes without legislative approval & restrict who may turn in someone else's mail ballot on their behalf

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed two election bills Friday, one that would tighten advance mailing rules and another that sought to prevent the executive and judicial branches from altering election laws.

Kelly, a Democrat who had been silent about the changes proposed by the GOP supermajority, issued a statement labeling them as “voter suppression.”

“This...is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. It is designed to disenfranchise Kansans, making it difficult for them to participate in the democratic process, not to stop voter fraud,” Kelly said. Both measures passed the Senate with a veto-proof majority. But they will need four additional votes in the House for limitations on advance voting to become law and one more to override Kelly’s veto on limits to executive and judicial authority.

Rep. Blake Carpenter, a Derby Republican and chair of the House elections committee, said he believed Kansans would be reaching out to their representatives ahead of potential override votes.

“I think our citizens are looking at these other states and really questioning the validity and the trustworthiness of what occurred,” Carpenter said. “We need to do the best we can here in the state of Kansas to make sure that every time Republicans and Democrats can trust the results of our elections.”

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab has reported that Kansas had “free and fair” elections last year. Proponents say they are seeking to head off future problems.

“When you are trying to ensure election integrity it’s disappointing when the governor decides to veto,” said Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, a Galena Republican. “We are supposed to be proactive and if we see instances where there could be and we can do a better job of ensuring election integrity then we should be doing that.”

Opponents said the measures, especially one limiting how many advance ballots someone can return on behalf of other voters, will serve to make voting more difficult especially for the disabled and elderly.

“These election bills are designed to disproportionately harm elderly Kansans, college students, and members of the military trying to exercise their right to vote. Furthermore, they continue a dangerous trend of taking away powers from other elected officials,” House Majority Leader Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita, said in a statement applauding the governor’s decision.

House Bill 2332 prohibits the executive and judicial branches of government from creating election laws. It also prevents the Secretary of State from entering into consent decrees with a court without legislative approval.

The measures were triggered by decisions in two states pivotal to the 2020 elections.

One was the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to extend the due date for mail ballots. The other was a consent decree entered into by the Georgia secretary of state to establish standards for checking signatures on ballots. A lawsuit alleged that ballots of Black voters were being disproportionately disqualified. The mail ballot bill also creates disclosure requirements for organizations distributing information about mail-in voting. It mandates the Secretary of State to maintain residential addresses in addition to mailing addresses of voters. It also creates new election tampering crimes.

The residential address requirements stem an election fraud charge brought against former U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins who listed his home address as a UPS store.

House Bill 2183 focuses largely on mail-in voting. It limits who is permitted to return a mail-in ballot for another person and makes it a misdemeanor for one person to return more than 10 mail-in ballots. The measure also requires the signature on a mail ballot to match the signature election officials have on file, creating a potential for votes to be discarded, and bans the Secretary of State from extending mail-in vote deadlines.

The bill also makes it illegal to backdate a postmark on a ballot and bars election offices from accepting money from any entity other than the state for administering elections.

Im sure the legislature will override the veto.

[Cannot think of a name]

Gaetz is now being investigated
for corruption in regards to...paid escorts in the Bahamas in order to shift his position on medical marijuana

Federal authorities are looking into whether a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and several young women was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section are examining whether Gaetz took gifts, including travel and paid escorts, in exchange for political favors, the sources said.
As part of an ongoing probe into Gaetz, investigators are examining whether he engaged in a relationship with a girl that began when she was 17. In pursuing evidence of potential public corruption, sources tell CNN that investigators are also scrutinizing Gaetz's connections to medical marijuana, both in terms of legislation he's sponsored and his connections to people involved in the industry, searching for so-called pay-to-play arrangements.
Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug, both as a state representative in Florida and as a member of Congress. A number of his close associates have ties to the industry, including Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and has in past news coverage in Florida been described as a "marijuana investor." According to reports, Pirozzolo accompanied Gaetz on the 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing. Neither Gaetz nor Pirozzolo has been accused by Justice Department officials of wrongdoing or charged with a crime.

Kind of disappointed that the medical marijuana lobby is buyin' senators hookers.