Weekend Open Thread
[guest post by Dana]
Here are a few news items to chew over. Feel free to add anything that you think readers might be interested in. Please make sure to include links.
First news item
Money, it’s a gas, grab that cash with both hands and make a stash:
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that many Americans enrolled in Medicare would receive a $200 card in the mail in several weeks to better afford prescription drugs — a brazenly political effort to gain stronger support among older Americans before Election Day.
“Nobody’s seen this before. These cards are incredible,” Trump said at an event in North Carolina touting the administration’s health record. “The cards will be mailed out in coming weeks. I will always take care of our wonderful senior citizens.”
A day after President Donald Trump promised that Medicare beneficiaries would get a $200 prescription discount card within weeks, administration officials said all the cards wouldn’t be going out before the Nov. 3 election.
Second news item
Him:
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s husband, University of California Regent Richard Blum, was named Thursday by the state auditor’s office as one of the regents involved in admissions scandal where UC wrongly admitted dozens of wealthy, mostly white students as favors to well-connected people.
Her:
Democrats are fiercely trying to prevent President Trump and Senate Republicans from confirming a new Supreme Court justice before November’s election, but a number of them are worried their leader on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is not up to the task.
Feinstein, 87, is currently the oldest member of the Senate, and stands to play a key role as the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, which will vote on Trump’s pick to determine if they ultimately go before the full body for a confirmation hearing.
“She’s not sure what she’s doing,” one Democratic senator told Politico, expressing concern that Feinstein could make costly errors that impact not only the Supreme Court but the party’s Senate future.
Oh, karma, you pesky bitch:
A third senator told the outlet that the party was “in an impossible position” because they could not remove a woman from power as Trump is expected to nominate a woman to the Supreme Court.
Third news item
Ka Mauri Harrison is a nine-year-old boy in Harvey, Louisiana. Earlier this month, he was taking a social studies test—during a virtual classroom session—when one of his younger siblings entered the room and knocked over an unloaded toy BB gun. Harrison picked up the fake weapon, which made it briefly visible on screen… The district, Jefferson Pariah Schools, threatened Harrison with expulsion for having a lookalike weapon in class—as if his home is now an extension of the school. The Washington Post reports that the expulsion was later reduced to a six-day suspension .
Fourth news item
Pelosi to Biden: You’re breaking my heart, you’re shaking my confidence daily :
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doubled down during an appearance on “Morning on CBS” on comments she made last month that the former vice president should skip the debates so they don’t become “an exercise in skullduggery.”
When asked if she still believed Biden should sit out the three presidential debates on September 29, October 15, and October 22, she said “Oh, I do.”
Fifth news item
David French explains the awful realities:
Yesterday a grand jury in Kentucky refused to charge the officers who killed Breonna Taylor. This result was both lawful and deeply unjust.
Sixth news item
A how-to for Presiden Trump…just in case:
The defeated George H.W. Bush’s letter to Bill Clinton on the day of their peaceful transfer of power, 1993: pic.twitter.com/BRXfubz9zt
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 24, 2020
Seventh news item
President Donald Trump said at a campaign rally Friday that Abraham Lincoln “wasn’t big on the Hispanic movement” in an apparent attempt to praise himself. Repeating his claim that he’s done more for minority communities than any other American leader, Trump tooted the results of his campaign events in Florida with leaders of the Hispanic community. He said, “We call them the ‘Latinos for Trump,’ where we are polling at numbers that I guess no Republican has ever polled at before, perhaps, Abraham Lincoln. But in those days, he wasn’t big into the Hispanic movement, I think. He had other things to think about.”
Eighth news item
Gov. DeSantis warns Covid-19: Don’t come around here no more:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he is lifting all restrictions on businesses statewide that were imposed to control the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Most significantly, that means restaurants and bars in the state can now operate at full capacity.
Up to now, restaurants and bars in Florida could serve customers indoors at 50% of legal occupancy. DeSantis said his new executive order lifts that restriction statewide, though local governments can keep additional limits in place if they’re justified for health or economic reasons.
“Every business has the right to operate,” DeSantis said. “Some of the locals can do reasonable regulations. But you can’t just say no.”
DeSantis also said his order would stop cities and counties from fining people for not wearing mandated face coverings. He said fines and other penalties imposed so far would be suspended.
Ninth news item
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2020
Have a great weekend.
–Dana
