Friday Talking Points -- A Grown Man Running Against A Six-Year-Old

[ChrisWeigant]

Again, we open with a joke or two. From last weekend's White House Correspondents' Dinner, President Joe Biden got off a few good burns on the man he's running against:

The 2024 election is in full swing. And yes, age is an issue. I'm a grown man running against a six-year-old.

Age is the only thing we have in common. My vice president actually endorses me.

The headline comedian was Colin Jost (from Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" ), and his jokes were even better. He also touched upon the age issue:

I'm not saying both candidates are old, but you know Jimmy Carter is out there thinking: "I could maybe win this thing." He's only 99....

He also ripped into Donald Trump, especially over his current legal woes:

Can we just acknowledge how refreshing it is to see a president of the United States at an event that doesn't begin with a bailiff saying: "All rise"?

It is the best time in history to be a courtroom sketch artist. My God, the most famous man on Earth is on trial, and there's no cameras allowed. Just the artists, their pastels and their desire to make Trump look as bad as possible. Every sketch of Trump looks like the Grinch had sex with the Lorax.

Trump, of course, is still busy with his first criminal court case. It was a notable week in the trial, as Trump was held in contempt for the first time in this trial. Out of ten instances provided by the prosecution of Trump violating his gag order, the judge agreed with nine of them and fined Trump the maximum amount New York law allows -- for a total of $9,000. The judge also held a hearing on four more possible violations identified by the prosecution, all of which have happened since the previous such hearing. Jail time for any of these isn't really an option -- yet -- but may become more so now that Trump has officially been found in contempt of court (for any such future violations, in other words).

Trump told a whopper of a lie yesterday to the gathered reporters in the courthouse hallway, stating that the gag order would absolutely prevent him from testifying on his own behalf. This annoyed the judge so much that this morning (before the jury entered), he castigated Trump for saying this and told him directly that the gag order prevented no such thing and he'd be free to testify and say anything he liked.

The purpose of the lie is pretty obvious, though. Trump has been saying he's going to testify, but any sane defense lawyer would tell him that it would be the most monumentally stupid thing he could do -- so Trump is likely casting about for an acceptable excuse not to (one that didn't have anything to do with him, of course). It remains to be seen whether Trump will just keep on repeating the lie he told yesterday or come up with some new fanciful explanation, but the odds still have to be that he won't take the stand (since the prosecution would absolutely eviscerate him on cross-examination, obviously).

The big news about Trump in the courtroom remains the same -- he keeps falling asleep. He is being denied his steady stream of Diet Cokes in the courtroom, so this is probably just "caffeine deficiency syndrome" (so to speak), but it still is amusing to see the courtroom sketches of Trump snoozing through his own criminal trial. Trump tried to rewrite this reality by posting that he is not actually sleeping, stating: "I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!" This was (of course) immediately ridiculed online (since it is so laughable and narcissistic, all at once).

Most of the testimony this week was to lay the groundwork for the big witnesses still to come. The payments to the two women who had extramarital affairs with Trump so that they would keep silent about it were traced from person to person. Technical evidence was admitted that will likely be relied upon later. Today, however, we got the first marquee witness: Hope Hicks.

Hicks was not a primary player in the whole hush-money payoff, but she was so close to Trump that she was aware of it all. To put this another way, she is just another building block leading up to the testimony (perhaps next week) from Stormy Daniels and/or Michael Cohen. Hicks did have some nice things to say about Trump on the stand today, but she also wove the web a bit tighter as she corroborated several facts attested to by the other big witnesses so far.

All in all, it wasn't exactly an explosive week of testimony, but the case is still building so the best is assumably yet to come. There are already rumors circulating that Trump is getting rather unhappy with his main lawyer, but that's nothing new for him. Will he try to torpedo the whole trial by attempting to fire his main lawyer at some point? That remains to be seen, although it is quite likely the judge wouldn't allow him to do so at this point in the trial.

Trump did take a break to go campaign this Wednesday, where he was notably having problems with the English language once again:

Slurring his words at a Waukesha, Wisconsin rally, Trump referred to Biden's "fake infrastrucker, ershure para," before settling on "a package of infrastructure." Minutes later, the 77-year-old launched into a rant about Master Lock, again slipping into incoherence.

In related Trumpian legal news, Peter Navarro's appeal was turned down cold by the Supreme Court this week, so he'll stay in jail (where he belongs).

In abortion news, Florida's Draconian 6-week abortion ban went into effect, which means pretty much the entire Deep South is now an "abortion desert." Florida women will now have to travel to either North Carolina or Virginia to get the healthcare that they need. Meanwhile, a handful of Republicans in Arizona wisely decided that their party had gone too far with the 1864 total ban on abortion, and the state senate voted this week to repeal the Civil War-era law. Due to legalities about when new laws take effect, this won't solve the problem immediately, but the governor is all ready to sign the repeal, so it'll happen as soon as is legislatively possible.

Trump, meanwhile, gave an extraordinary set of interviews to Time magazine, in which he doubled down on his current position on abortion. This can be summed up as: "Everyone wanted Roe v. Wade overturned" (which is a total lie, as pro-choice people had been fighting to avoid this for decades) and now that it is up to the states Trump can completely forget about the issue altogether and blame others for any problems. When asked specifics such as whether he'd be OK with states intrusively tracking women's pregnancies, Trump shrugged it all off. "Eh, it'd be up to the states," is essentially his new dismissal of everything abortion-related.

Team Biden immediately cut a new ad in response.

The Time article is definitely worth reading in full -- in fact, we would encourage those who have the time to actually read the full transcripts of the interviews with Trump -- as it all deals with what America could expect in Trump's second term, should he win. The answers are downright frightening on all fronts, not just abortion rights.

Speaking of downright frightening politicians, we must admit we've never seen a vice-presidential hopeful melt down in as spectacular fashion as South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem just did this week. She's releasing a new memoir and the publisher leaked a few tidbits to create some buzz. What erupted, however, might better be described as a buzz saw.

Noem recounted the story of taking a 14-month old puppy she owned to a gravel pit and shooting it (for being "untrainable" ). For good measure, she also shot a goat she didn't like as well. This all went over with the public like a lead balloon. Noem then doubled down on the story, insisting that it showed how responsible she was, and how she was able to make the tough decisions when necessary.

Nobody bought it, though. She was universally reviled by both Democrats and Republicans and her admission even has now given birth to the "Congressional Dog Lovers Caucus." Her hopes of becoming Donald Trump's running mate now lay in tatters, due to her own self-inflicted injury.

And we have to close our wrap-up this week with a rather amusing note, from a different disgraced Republican politician. I guess George Santos needs some quick cash to pay his lawyers or something, because he announced this week that he'll be selling short video appearances on Cameo as his drag personality "Kitara Ravache."

You ready for the punchline? He swears that 20 percent of the proceeds will go to charity! Maybe next he could try selling the Brooklyn Bridge on EBay? Grifters gotta grift, after all....





We begin with an Honorable Mention award, for Representative-Elect Tim Kennedy in New York. This week, Kennedy won a special House election to replace a retiring Democrat, which not only holds the seat but (once he is sworn in) will reduce the Republican majority back down to a one-vote margin.

But our Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award goes to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, for a very odd reason. In an unprecedented pre-emptive move this week, Jeffries let it be known that Democrats would actually vote to save Republican Mike Johnson's speakership. This is rather astonishing, since in normal times the opposition party would automatically vote against any speaker from the other side of the aisle. But we do not live in normal times.

We did write about this earlier in the week, noting that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's grandstanding move to force a vote on her "motion to vacate the chair" -- which she is now promising will happen next week -- is now destined to fail.

Democrats are going to help Johnson defang the extremist Chaos Caucus within his own ranks. Like we said -- unprecedented! But it makes a certain amount of sense, seen through the lens of "the devil you know rather than the devil you don't." Johnson has indeed given free rein to the crazies within his own caucus up until now -- but only to a crucial point. After that point is reached (at the absolute last possible moment), Johnson bows to reality and passes all the must-pass bills the government needs to keep functioning. And he does so without trying to ram ultra-conservative poison pills down the Democrats' throat, since he knows that the Senate and the White House are both run by Democrats. So he's the devil Democrats know -- one that they can actually work with, at least to a certain minimal degree.

If M.T.G. were allowed to oust the second speaker in American history, it would doubtless be a political benefit for Democrats, who could all campaign on the fact that when you put Republicans in charge, all you get is pure chaos. But it might also mean a House Speaker getting elected who is a complete raving lunatic, which would not bode well for the rest of this year in the House.

Jeffries could have played his cards close to the vest and only insinuated that he'd help out Johnson when the time came. Instead, he made a public announcement this week. This relegates the whole "motion to vacate" to a mere circus sideshow, instead of putting it in the center ring where Greene truly wanted it to be.

Jeffries is no fool, though. Some Democrats grumbled that he didn't get any sort of clear quid pro quo out of Johnson -- some sort of "power-sharing arrangement" that would increase Democrats' power in the House. But this is a one-time deal for Johnson. If in the future more "motion to vacate" votes happen, Johnson will likely be on his own unless he does make some sort of deal with Democrats for their support.

For taking an unprecedented and brave course of action -- even though it cuts against the grain of raw partisanship -- Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is our Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week.

[Congratulate House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on his House contact page, to let him know you appreciate his efforts.]





This first one is just, well... weird. But we hesitate to give it any kind of award, since the politician in question isn't really a Democrat to begin with.

Don Blankenship, the former head of the Massey Energy Company who spent a year in prison for violating coal-mining safety standards (which led to an explosion which killed 29 mineworkers), is running to replace outgoing Senator Joe Manchin... as a Democrat. He has previously run for Senate as both a Republican and an Independent, but now apparently thinks his chances will improve in the Democratic primary. But he's not a Democrat -- not even a "West Virginia Democrat" (see: Joe Manchin). The head of the West Virginia Democratic Party disavowed his candidacy, referring to Blankenship "as he'll forever be known: federal prisoner 12393-088."

But as a late-night comic pointed out this week, Blankenship's campaign ads are downright bizarre. He ends his most recent three video ads by saying (you cannot make this stuff up, folks): "If they tell you I fell out of bed and hung myself: I didn't." This wasn't just one gaffe, it seems to actually be his main campaign slogan. Just bizarre all around, but as we said we can't really consider him a Democrat so we have ruled he is ineligible for any award.

Instead, we're giving this week's Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week to Representative Henry Cuellar, who was just federally indicted (with his wife) on bribery charges for apparently receiving $600,000 from two foreign entities (an oil company owned by the Azerbaijan government, and a bank in Mexico City).

Of course, Cuellar is innocent until proven guilty and all of that sort of thing, but it certainly doesn't look good for him:

The Department of Justice indicted Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, on Friday for bribery, unlawful foreign influence and money laundering. The indictment comes more than two years after the federal law enforcement agency raided his home in Laredo, Texas.

Between 2014 and 2021, the Cuellars accepted about $600,000 in bribes from an oil and gas company owned by the government of Azerbaijan, and a Mexico City-based bank, the DOJ charges. In exchange for the bribes from the Azerbaijani company, Henry Cuellar "promised to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan," including in its dispute with neighboring Armenia, according to the DOJ indictment.

And in exchange for the funds from the Mexican bank, the federal government alleges that Henry Cuellar "agreed" to use his "influence" against anti-money laundering measures in Congress and the executive branch that "threatened" the bank's interests. He also said he would support legislation to "block federal regulation of the payday lending industry."

The couple hid the payments using layers of middlemen and a series of shell companies under Imelda Cuellar's name, according to the DOJ indictment. If convicted, the couple could serve up to 20 years prison, though lighter sentences are more likely.

Cuellar denies everything, of course. But until his court case concludes, we are tentatively going to just go ahead and award him this week's MDDOTW in the meantime.

[Contact Representative Henry Cuellar on his House contact page, to let him know what you think of his actions.]




Volume 750 (5/3/24)

[Editorial milestone note: Yes indeedy, that number is correct. This is the 750th "Friday Talking Points" column! We have been diligently providing talking points to Democrats for (checks the record) an astonishing 17 years now. So here's to pushing forward until we get up to four digits!]

We've got a single theme for today's talking points, and it is to highlight things that President Biden has very quietly been doing of late.

There is a reason for this flurry of activity, and it is called the "Congressional Review Act." This was passed by Newt Gingrich (it was part of the "Contract With America," in fact) and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Since then, it had only been used once -- until Trump took office. Trump used it over a dozen times, to kill Obama regulations he didn't like.

The law says that Congress can quickly overturn any federal rule made by a president, within a certain period of time. So presidential rules that appear very late in a president's term are still fair game for the incoming Congress. This is how Trump used it, and the obvious fear is that any late-posted rule could also suffer the same fate if Republicans sweep the November elections.

With the clock ticking and the safe window about to slam shut, Biden has been moving forward on a number of rules his administration has been working on for a very long time. So today's talking points all highlight some of the good things Biden has been doing (since you probably won't hear much about them in the mainstream media -- oh, and kudos to HuffPost for presenting a full list of what Team Biden has been up to of late). All of these except the final one have appeared as new rules within the last few weeks.



More overtime pay

This is the latest chapter in a continuing story. President Barack Obama tried to raise this, then Trump lowered it, and now Biden has made his move to make the law more generous again.

"I believe that working Americans deserve overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours a week. Overtime pay is a big deal for most workers -- especially those who aren't paid that much to begin with. Some big corporations have been getting away with calling low-level workers 'managers' and paying them with a salary -- which doesn't take into account how many hours they have to work. The corporations thus get a bunch of free hours from these workers, who don't even make more for working a 60-hour week than a 40-hour week. There is a rule that forces employers to pay overtime rates to the lowest-paid workers, but Donald Trump set the bar for it too low, at only $35,500. Joe Biden just raised that to cover every worker who makes $58,600 or less. This will ensure over four million Americans will now get paid for their overtime, which will come as a huge relief to their families. What's more, Biden's new rule states that the threshold rate will be reset every three years to account for inflation. Joe Biden is fighting hard for the workers of America to be paid what they are worth and to stop corporations from stealing their labor for free."



Airline refunds

This is a pretty universal headache, so making things better should really be big news.

"Joe Biden just changed the game for America's flying public. Airlines will now be forced to issue automatic cash refunds for cancelled flights or flights that are delayed more than a few hours. If your checked bag is not delivered within 12 hours after you land, your checked-bag fee will now be refunded. Fees for seat selection or internet connections will also be refunded if the airline fails to provide the service. The airlines will also have to disclose up front what their fees are for checked or carry-on bags and for cancelling or changing a reservation. This will all save consumers a whopping 500 million dollars per year. Joe Biden understands how regular Americans get annoyed at all the little games the airlines like to play with them, and he's putting a stop to some of the worst. Think about that the next time you fly."



Protecting patients

More good news....

"The Biden administration just reinstated federal discrimination protections for all L.G.B.T. patients seeking healthcare, so they cannot be treated differently by insurance companies or hospitals. Gay people should never be turned away from receiving healthcare simply because of who they are. They should not have to pay more for things like fertility benefits either. Biden also moved to make abortion records just as private as all other medical records in this country, which will allow healthcare providers to deny access to this information to others, since it could be used to prosecute them in the states that have taken the freedom of bodily autonomy away from women. Women who travel across state lines to get the reproductive healthcare they need will not have to worry about the police in their home state having access to their health records. Joe Biden is fighting for nondiscrimination and privacy in healthcare law."



Protecting the environment

This is another very big deal worth bragging about.

"The Biden administration is also -- [link:|for the first time ever] -- limiting greenhouse gas emissions from certain power plants. They are tightening up regulations for mercury gas and coal ash as well as speeding up construction of new power transmission lines. These new rules will apply to both coal-fired and natural gas power plants and will eventually cut their emission of carbon by 90 percent. New homes will now also have to be built with dramatically increased energy efficiency, which will save consumers a whopping $2.1 billion on energy bills. All you have to do is look around at the extreme weather events already happening with regularity to see that climate change is real and must be addressed for our children's future. Joe Biden is doing so -- because this is the only planet we have."



Healthier meals for students

Keep in mind that the "suburban mom vote" could decide the presidential election.

"The Biden administration just unveiled new nutrition standards for school lunches and breakfasts. This will limit the amount of sugar in kids' meals and reduce the amount of sodium allowed. This will also make it easier for schools to buy locally-grown or raised foods, and will limit the percentage of food they can serve that is grown or raised outside of the United States -- so it is a big win for American farmers as well as the parents of all schoolchildren. Kids should be able to get healthy meals at school instead of junk food larded up with salt and sugar. Joe Biden is going to make sure that happens for everyone's kids."



A tokin' gesture?

OK, we have to admit we didn't think that title up ourselves, we saw it as a random comment on an article on what Biden just did and thought it was pretty funny....

"For the first time in modern history, the U.S. government is retreating on the insanity of the federal War On Weed. When the government first came up with an official list of 'dangerous substances,' Richard Nixon was president. To make it easier to jail his political opponents (mostly Black people and hippies), marijuana was classified at the highest level of dangerousness. This has been federal law ever since. To show you how insane this is, marijuana is considered by the feds to be more dangerous than fentanyl. Is there anyone out there who believes such poppycock? But that's what the law has said all along. Finally -- finally! -- this is going to soon change. Marijuana will be moved down this list, which will change things for the better almost overnight. It's not the end of the road for the fight to dismantle the wrongheaded War On Weed, but it is the biggest and most significant step ever taken -- and the first such step that actually moves the country in the right direction. Neither Bill Clinton nor Barack Obama -- who both admitted youthful recreational marijuana use themselves -- took this step. But Joe Biden just did."



Seniors about to get a huge break on prescription drug prices

Unfortunately, when this was passed as part of Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, it was built into the law that the benefits wouldn't actually start until after the presidential election -- so people aren't actually seeing these benefits yet, for the most part. But that shouldn't stop Democrats from Biden on down tooting this horn as loudly and as many times as they can, because it is all a very big deal indeed.

"America's seniors are about to get an enormous break on the costs they bear for prescription drugs. Starting next year, all prescription drug out-of-pocket costs for patients on Medicare will be capped at $2,000 per year. This means that whenever you hit that ceiling -- whether it be late in the year, or in January for those who have incredibly expensive prescriptions -- that is all you will have to pay for the entire rest of the year. Everything else will be paid by Medicare, not the patient. This is going to be a life-changer for millions of American families. In fact, it will save lives. It will be a huge relief for so many families. Medicare is also now going to be negotiating prices with the big drug companies, which should lower costs for everyone too. Added with lower costs for insulin, free vaccines, and penalties for drug makers whose prices exceed the rise of inflation, and you can see that the Biden administration is fighting to bring down prescription drug prices for everyone and stop the big Pharma companies from ripping so many Americans off."




Chris Weigant blogs at: ChrisWeigant.com
Follow Chris on Twitter: ChrisWeigant
Full archives of FTP columns: FridayTalkingPoints.com

[flying rabbit]

1. Joe is getting things done