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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
March 20, 2024
(Slate) In the manner of a drunk teenager with a hand on a light switch, the Supreme Court has spent the past few days turning federal immigration law in Texas on and off, on and off, while making mewling noises about whether it was on or off when the party started. In a 6–3 decision along the usual lines on Tuesday afternoon, the Supreme Court allowed S.B. 4—Texas’ stunning usurpation of federal immigration law—to take effect. Through this divided and unreasoned vote, the high court will allow Texas to seize enforcement of immigration powers away from the federal government, a direct violation of a 2012 Supreme Court decision striking down Arizona’s infamous “show me your papers” law. In so doing, the conservative majority has blessed galling chicanery by the Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which sought to shield Texas’ law from Supreme Court review indefinitely. As two of the dissenters noted, the six justices in the majority have injected “chaos and crisis in immigration enforcement” through oblivious procedural formalism that does not withstand the slightest scrutiny.
As signed into law late last year, S.B. 4 criminalizes unauthorized migration under Texas law, thereby turning unlawful entry and presence in the U.S. into an offense separate and apart from existing federal immigration law. The Texas measure also allows state law enforcement officers to stop and detain anyone they “suspect” of having entered Texas unlawfully, while instructing state courts to disregard any ongoing federal immigration proceedings. It also allows state judges to begin deportation proceedings and permits state magistrate judges to remove migrants back to Mexico as an alternative to continued prosecution. (Those who cannot prove their legal status may be jailed or deported back to Mexico, whether or not they’re Mexican.) This radical revision of immigration law will hinder migrants’ ability to cross safely into the country and seek asylum once here. It will also subject Latinos, including citizens and permanent residents, to heightened suspicion and harassment by law enforcement.
Texas justified S.B. 4 as a necessary exercise of Texas’ constitutional authority to repel an “actual invasion,” an absurd claim with zero basis in law or fact. As Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared, S.B. 4 embodies Texas’ssingular view that its constitutional authority “is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.” All of this, as a federal district court in Texas noted last month, amounts to “nullification of federal law and authority—a notion that is antithetical to the Constitution and has been unequivocally rejected by federal courts since the Civil War.” (Fact check: true.) ..............(more)
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/03/supreme-court-texas-latino-harassment-law.html
The Supreme Court Just Gave Texas a Green Light to Harass Every Latino Person in the State
(Slate) In the manner of a drunk teenager with a hand on a light switch, the Supreme Court has spent the past few days turning federal immigration law in Texas on and off, on and off, while making mewling noises about whether it was on or off when the party started. In a 6–3 decision along the usual lines on Tuesday afternoon, the Supreme Court allowed S.B. 4—Texas’ stunning usurpation of federal immigration law—to take effect. Through this divided and unreasoned vote, the high court will allow Texas to seize enforcement of immigration powers away from the federal government, a direct violation of a 2012 Supreme Court decision striking down Arizona’s infamous “show me your papers” law. In so doing, the conservative majority has blessed galling chicanery by the Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which sought to shield Texas’ law from Supreme Court review indefinitely. As two of the dissenters noted, the six justices in the majority have injected “chaos and crisis in immigration enforcement” through oblivious procedural formalism that does not withstand the slightest scrutiny.
As signed into law late last year, S.B. 4 criminalizes unauthorized migration under Texas law, thereby turning unlawful entry and presence in the U.S. into an offense separate and apart from existing federal immigration law. The Texas measure also allows state law enforcement officers to stop and detain anyone they “suspect” of having entered Texas unlawfully, while instructing state courts to disregard any ongoing federal immigration proceedings. It also allows state judges to begin deportation proceedings and permits state magistrate judges to remove migrants back to Mexico as an alternative to continued prosecution. (Those who cannot prove their legal status may be jailed or deported back to Mexico, whether or not they’re Mexican.) This radical revision of immigration law will hinder migrants’ ability to cross safely into the country and seek asylum once here. It will also subject Latinos, including citizens and permanent residents, to heightened suspicion and harassment by law enforcement.
Texas justified S.B. 4 as a necessary exercise of Texas’ constitutional authority to repel an “actual invasion,” an absurd claim with zero basis in law or fact. As Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared, S.B. 4 embodies Texas’ssingular view that its constitutional authority “is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.” All of this, as a federal district court in Texas noted last month, amounts to “nullification of federal law and authority—a notion that is antithetical to the Constitution and has been unequivocally rejected by federal courts since the Civil War.” (Fact check: true.) ..............(more)
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/03/supreme-court-texas-latino-harassment-law.html
March 20, 2024
(Salon) Leadership from Tyson Foods announced last week they would be shuttering one of the company’s pork plants in Perry, Iowa. It’s not great news for a town that is home to just over 7,800 people, however the shutdown comes after news of over ten similar closures that punctuated a year of record losses for the pork industry; in 2023, there was average loss for producers of about $32 per hog.
The same day Tyson made that announcement, the head of the company’s social efforts division, Garret Dolan, appeared in an article by Bloomberg with the headline “Tyson Is Hiring New York Immigrants for Jobs No One Else Wants.” The story details how companies like Tyson are struggling to fill what they characterize as “unpleasant jobs” with a US unemployment rate of 3.9%. As a result, the meatpacker is joining the nonprofit Tent Partnership for Refugees with a plan to hire some of the nearly 200,000 migrants who have come through New York City’s intake system over the past two years.
....(snip)....
Currently, according to Bloomberg, Tyson already employs about 42,000 immigrants among its 120,000-member American workforce, which is very likely why he invoked that specific number. However, in light of the news out of Perry, some top-level Republicans — including Ohio senator and potential Trump running mate JD Vance — are spinning a narrative wherein Americans are being replaced with thousands of migrant workers, leading some to refer to the situation as “‘The Great Replacement’ in motion.”
....(snip)....
Sometimes, like in the case of chatter on social media about the Tyson situation, references to the theory are more straightforward. For instance, one YouTube video from the conservative account Pinball Preparedness, which has 109,000 subscribers, is literally titled: “The Great Replacement Theory in Action.” ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/03/19/are-using-tysons-decision-to-hire-migrants-to-push-their-great-replacement-lie/
Republicans are using Tyson's decision to hire migrants to push their "Great Replacement" lie
(Salon) Leadership from Tyson Foods announced last week they would be shuttering one of the company’s pork plants in Perry, Iowa. It’s not great news for a town that is home to just over 7,800 people, however the shutdown comes after news of over ten similar closures that punctuated a year of record losses for the pork industry; in 2023, there was average loss for producers of about $32 per hog.
The same day Tyson made that announcement, the head of the company’s social efforts division, Garret Dolan, appeared in an article by Bloomberg with the headline “Tyson Is Hiring New York Immigrants for Jobs No One Else Wants.” The story details how companies like Tyson are struggling to fill what they characterize as “unpleasant jobs” with a US unemployment rate of 3.9%. As a result, the meatpacker is joining the nonprofit Tent Partnership for Refugees with a plan to hire some of the nearly 200,000 migrants who have come through New York City’s intake system over the past two years.
....(snip)....
Currently, according to Bloomberg, Tyson already employs about 42,000 immigrants among its 120,000-member American workforce, which is very likely why he invoked that specific number. However, in light of the news out of Perry, some top-level Republicans — including Ohio senator and potential Trump running mate JD Vance — are spinning a narrative wherein Americans are being replaced with thousands of migrant workers, leading some to refer to the situation as “‘The Great Replacement’ in motion.”
....(snip)....
Sometimes, like in the case of chatter on social media about the Tyson situation, references to the theory are more straightforward. For instance, one YouTube video from the conservative account Pinball Preparedness, which has 109,000 subscribers, is literally titled: “The Great Replacement Theory in Action.” ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/03/19/are-using-tysons-decision-to-hire-migrants-to-push-their-great-replacement-lie/
March 19, 2024
BUNNELL, Fla. — A hunter was accidentally shot Sunday in Bunnell.
"We was turkey hunting and I see what I thought was a gobbler and he had a decoy set up and I didn't know he was there," said the 911 caller.
According to Bunnell police, it happened around 7:30 a.m. in the 700 block of Old Haw Creek Road.
First responders found a man who had been shot in the head and torso with a birdshot. The victim was hospitalized and is expected to survive. ...............(more)
https://www.wesh.com/article/bunnell-hunter-shot-turkey-florida/60230716
Central Florida man shot by hunter who mistook him for a turkey, police say
BUNNELL, Fla. — A hunter was accidentally shot Sunday in Bunnell.
"We was turkey hunting and I see what I thought was a gobbler and he had a decoy set up and I didn't know he was there," said the 911 caller.
According to Bunnell police, it happened around 7:30 a.m. in the 700 block of Old Haw Creek Road.
First responders found a man who had been shot in the head and torso with a birdshot. The victim was hospitalized and is expected to survive. ...............(more)
https://www.wesh.com/article/bunnell-hunter-shot-turkey-florida/60230716
March 19, 2024
Adolescents are being prescribed semaglutide for obesity, but some experts are concerned about band-aid solutions
By NICOLE KARLIS
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MARCH 19, 2024 5:30AM (EDT)
(Salon) Time and time again, public health officials say childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States. Dr. Christopher F. Bolling, a retired pediatrician and volunteer professor of pediatrics and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, told Salon he’s personally seen childhood obesity rise in the U.S. through the culmination of his own practice, which he started in the late 1980s.
....(snip)....
The report comes nearly a year after the much-criticized childhood obesity treatment guidelines were released in 2023, which included a mix of recommendations, ranging from behavior and lifestyle treatment to anti-obesity medication and bariatric surgery. Specifically, AAP said doctors should offer weight loss drugs to adolescents diagnosed with obesity at age 12 or older. Severe obesity is defined as a BMI of 120% of the 95th percentile, or roughly the 99th percentile, for age and sex.
Judging from headlines at the time, these suggestions alarmed eating disorder specialists. Yet over a year later, anecdotal data shows that those guidelines are likely being followed as more reports surface about adolescents and teens being prescribed anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which has the generic name semaglutide.
....(snip)....
In January, a report came out that found 1 in 10 teens worldwide have used so-called “budget Ozempic” laxatives and other risky weight loss products to lose weight. Since the drugs aren’t meant to be used to treat obesity in teens, the study’s authors expressed concern that this trend could pose immediate and longer-term health risks. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/03/19/ozempic-for-kids-inside-the-debate-on-adolescents-taking-weight-loss/
Ozempic for kids? Inside the debate on adolescents taking weight-loss drugs
Ozempic for kids? Inside the debate on adolescents taking weight-loss drugsAdolescents are being prescribed semaglutide for obesity, but some experts are concerned about band-aid solutions
By NICOLE KARLIS
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MARCH 19, 2024 5:30AM (EDT)
(Salon) Time and time again, public health officials say childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States. Dr. Christopher F. Bolling, a retired pediatrician and volunteer professor of pediatrics and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, told Salon he’s personally seen childhood obesity rise in the U.S. through the culmination of his own practice, which he started in the late 1980s.
....(snip)....
The report comes nearly a year after the much-criticized childhood obesity treatment guidelines were released in 2023, which included a mix of recommendations, ranging from behavior and lifestyle treatment to anti-obesity medication and bariatric surgery. Specifically, AAP said doctors should offer weight loss drugs to adolescents diagnosed with obesity at age 12 or older. Severe obesity is defined as a BMI of 120% of the 95th percentile, or roughly the 99th percentile, for age and sex.
Judging from headlines at the time, these suggestions alarmed eating disorder specialists. Yet over a year later, anecdotal data shows that those guidelines are likely being followed as more reports surface about adolescents and teens being prescribed anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which has the generic name semaglutide.
....(snip)....
In January, a report came out that found 1 in 10 teens worldwide have used so-called “budget Ozempic” laxatives and other risky weight loss products to lose weight. Since the drugs aren’t meant to be used to treat obesity in teens, the study’s authors expressed concern that this trend could pose immediate and longer-term health risks. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/03/19/ozempic-for-kids-inside-the-debate-on-adolescents-taking-weight-loss/
March 19, 2024
(Michigan Advance) “The next eight months are going to define the future of our country,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said on Friday in Detroit.
“And the actions we take in the next eight months will define not just the future of our country, but in my view, the strength of our democracy moving forward,” Benson continued, noting that the work to expand voting access in Michigan could serve as a driving factor in how democracy is defined in the U.S.
The Democrat was one of several Michigan election officials who spoke at an event at Wayne State University Law School held by The American Bar Association Task Force for American Democracy which centered on efforts to promote trust in elections and civics during the 2024 election cycle.
In her speech, Benson highlighted key elements for successfully implementing changes to the election system enacted by voters in 2018 and 2022, focusing on building the infrastructure for elections, educating voters on their rights and how to exercise them, and countering lies and misinformation about elections. ......................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/03/18/ahead-of-2024-election-benson-and-local-officials-discuss-voting-changes-and-misinformation/
Ahead of 2024 election, Benson and local officials discuss voting changes and misinformation
(Michigan Advance) “The next eight months are going to define the future of our country,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said on Friday in Detroit.
“And the actions we take in the next eight months will define not just the future of our country, but in my view, the strength of our democracy moving forward,” Benson continued, noting that the work to expand voting access in Michigan could serve as a driving factor in how democracy is defined in the U.S.
The Democrat was one of several Michigan election officials who spoke at an event at Wayne State University Law School held by The American Bar Association Task Force for American Democracy which centered on efforts to promote trust in elections and civics during the 2024 election cycle.
In her speech, Benson highlighted key elements for successfully implementing changes to the election system enacted by voters in 2018 and 2022, focusing on building the infrastructure for elections, educating voters on their rights and how to exercise them, and countering lies and misinformation about elections. ......................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/03/18/ahead-of-2024-election-benson-and-local-officials-discuss-voting-changes-and-misinformation/
March 19, 2024
Trump blows the MAGA whistle — and his signal is heard loud and clear
Trump is escalating his rhetoric. How far will he take it?
By LUCIAN K. TRUSCOTT IV
Columnist
PUBLISHED MARCH 19, 2024 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) It may seem superfluous to say this, but it needs saying: He means it. Donald Trump meant it when he called his mob to Washington in December of 2020 by telling them, “Be there, will be wild!” and he means it right now when he tells the mobs at his rallies that the members of the January 6 Committee belong in jail, and if he is elected in November, he will have his Department of Justice “go after” President Biden and his family.
Donald Trump is dangerously escalating the rhetoric he is using to rile up his followers at his rallies. On Saturday in Dayton, Ohio, he saluted those convicted of violently attacking police officers and doing damage to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He called them “hostages” and “unbelievable patriots.” And he executed a military-style salute as a loudspeaker played a version of the National Anthem sung into a telephone in a federal prison by felons convicted of crimes at the Capitol.
....(snip)....
Donald Trump has no honor to bestow on anyone. He doesn’t know what honor is. His supporters understand this. They don’t support him because he is an honorable man, but because he isn’t. They get that his salute is not a sign of respect but one of defiance. His salute signifies his belief that the laws that his supporters broke are illegitimate. Trump doesn’t believe in those laws, so his supporters don’t, either. What Trump is saying with his salute to his supporters is that he, and they, stand apart from the laws of this nation. They are a law unto themselves. When he promises that he will pardon the “hostages,” as he calls them, he is saying that they did not break the law because they were following his orders.
....(snip)....
He is turning them loose, and they know it. They come to his rallies so they can hear it directly from Trump himself and then go home and get ready to take his next set of orders as they did before Jan. 6, when he told them it was okay to “be wild” at the Capitol. If you can be wild at the Capitol and attack police officers with weapons like batons and flag poles and bear spray, you can be wild anywhere, and you can do anything. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/03/19/blows-the-maga-whistle--and-his-signal-is-heard-loud-and-clear/
Trump blows the MAGA whistle -- and his signal is heard loud and clear
Trump blows the MAGA whistle — and his signal is heard loud and clear
Trump is escalating his rhetoric. How far will he take it?
By LUCIAN K. TRUSCOTT IV
Columnist
PUBLISHED MARCH 19, 2024 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) It may seem superfluous to say this, but it needs saying: He means it. Donald Trump meant it when he called his mob to Washington in December of 2020 by telling them, “Be there, will be wild!” and he means it right now when he tells the mobs at his rallies that the members of the January 6 Committee belong in jail, and if he is elected in November, he will have his Department of Justice “go after” President Biden and his family.
Donald Trump is dangerously escalating the rhetoric he is using to rile up his followers at his rallies. On Saturday in Dayton, Ohio, he saluted those convicted of violently attacking police officers and doing damage to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He called them “hostages” and “unbelievable patriots.” And he executed a military-style salute as a loudspeaker played a version of the National Anthem sung into a telephone in a federal prison by felons convicted of crimes at the Capitol.
....(snip)....
Donald Trump has no honor to bestow on anyone. He doesn’t know what honor is. His supporters understand this. They don’t support him because he is an honorable man, but because he isn’t. They get that his salute is not a sign of respect but one of defiance. His salute signifies his belief that the laws that his supporters broke are illegitimate. Trump doesn’t believe in those laws, so his supporters don’t, either. What Trump is saying with his salute to his supporters is that he, and they, stand apart from the laws of this nation. They are a law unto themselves. When he promises that he will pardon the “hostages,” as he calls them, he is saying that they did not break the law because they were following his orders.
....(snip)....
He is turning them loose, and they know it. They come to his rallies so they can hear it directly from Trump himself and then go home and get ready to take his next set of orders as they did before Jan. 6, when he told them it was okay to “be wild” at the Capitol. If you can be wild at the Capitol and attack police officers with weapons like batons and flag poles and bear spray, you can be wild anywhere, and you can do anything. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/03/19/blows-the-maga-whistle--and-his-signal-is-heard-loud-and-clear/
March 18, 2024
Russia's democracy may be dead, but the regime is sparing neither effort nor expense in staging the presidential election. Large voter turnout is supposed to give Putin's rule the appearance of legitimacy.
By Ann-Dorit Boy und Christina Hebel in Hamburg, Germany, and Moscow
15.03.2024, 17.40 Uhr
(Der Spiegel) Yulia received her special bonus a few days ago. "For the election," the supervisors stated bluntly. The Muscovite, in her early 40s, works in the administration of a state energy company. The bonus is linked to the so-called "presidential elections" that are slated to be held from Friday to Sunday, marking the first time polls in Russia will be open for three days.
Yulia is set to vote for Vladimir Putin together with her colleagues on Friday in their office using the government portal. Afterward, she's supposed to send a screenshot to her bosses, she tells DER SPIEGEL. It's an order that will be difficult to evade. Lists have been drawn up with the current telephone numbers of the employees, which they use to log into the portal, Yulia explains. She assumes that checks will be made to see who has logged in and when – and who has not.
Previous elections have also seen pressure exerted on employees of state-owned companies, says Yulia, whose name has been changed here. But it has been particularly bad this time, she says. Other employees of state-owned companies also shared similar accounts with DER SPIEGEL.
....(snip)....
The Election Manipulation Toolbox
The Kremlin has greatly expanded its toolbox for election manipulation in recent years, with two-thirds of the articles in the law on presidential elections having been changed. Here are just a few of the most important points:
..................(more)
https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-election-farce-in-russia-putins-elaborate-effort-to-make-his-re-election-look-legitimate-a-efe12cba-677e-499f-9a7d-5e5a9266f10a
Putin's Elaborate Effort to Make His Leadership Look Legitimate
Putin's Elaborate Effort to Make His Leadership Look LegitimateRussia's democracy may be dead, but the regime is sparing neither effort nor expense in staging the presidential election. Large voter turnout is supposed to give Putin's rule the appearance of legitimacy.
By Ann-Dorit Boy und Christina Hebel in Hamburg, Germany, and Moscow
15.03.2024, 17.40 Uhr
(Der Spiegel) Yulia received her special bonus a few days ago. "For the election," the supervisors stated bluntly. The Muscovite, in her early 40s, works in the administration of a state energy company. The bonus is linked to the so-called "presidential elections" that are slated to be held from Friday to Sunday, marking the first time polls in Russia will be open for three days.
Yulia is set to vote for Vladimir Putin together with her colleagues on Friday in their office using the government portal. Afterward, she's supposed to send a screenshot to her bosses, she tells DER SPIEGEL. It's an order that will be difficult to evade. Lists have been drawn up with the current telephone numbers of the employees, which they use to log into the portal, Yulia explains. She assumes that checks will be made to see who has logged in and when – and who has not.
Previous elections have also seen pressure exerted on employees of state-owned companies, says Yulia, whose name has been changed here. But it has been particularly bad this time, she says. Other employees of state-owned companies also shared similar accounts with DER SPIEGEL.
....(snip)....
The Election Manipulation Toolbox
The Kremlin has greatly expanded its toolbox for election manipulation in recent years, with two-thirds of the articles in the law on presidential elections having been changed. Here are just a few of the most important points:
* According to the Russian constitution, a president may not rule for more than two terms. But Putin had the constitution amended in 2020 to annul his previous terms of office. This means he can theoretically be elected to the presidency two more times for six-year terms and remain in the Kremlin until 2036.
* As part of the constitutional amendment, the rules for the admission of candidates to the presidential election were also tightened. They must now have lived permanently in Russia for 25 years instead of 10, and must not hold or have held a second citizenship or the right to residency in another country. There is an exception for Ukrainians from the occupied territories.
* In 2020, Moscow moved to stretch the election from one to three days.
* Voters in Moscow and the country's 28 regions have the opportunity to vote online this time, more than ever before. However, this form of voting is even less transparent than traditional ballot box votes.
* The possibilities for direct election observation – such as access to video recordings from polling stations, which had existed in the past – were severely restricted.
https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-election-farce-in-russia-putins-elaborate-effort-to-make-his-re-election-look-legitimate-a-efe12cba-677e-499f-9a7d-5e5a9266f10a
March 18, 2024
If we faced criminal charges, we know it would not help our defense if we insulted or threatened that very same criminal justice system. Yet Trump says he is the victim of a witch hunt.
Bill Proctor
Op-ed contributor
Detroit Free Press) ..........Trump is facing dozens of criminal charges related to election interference and business dealings.
Like clockwork, what follows Trump news is Trump noise. He hurls insults at judges, prosecutors, investigators and their agencies as he pushes back in an ugly, unprecedented fashion to pump up his already angry-at-America base of supporters.
If we faced criminal charges, we know it would not help our defense if we insulted or threatened that very same criminal justice system.
....(snip)....
In June of last year, the right-wing majority of Trump's Supreme Court, led by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, stacked with a right-wing majority, again slammed the door on innocence claims. Trump is counting on this same Supreme Court to save him from criminal prosecution. ...............(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2024/03/18/donald-trump-criminal-charges-justice-system-temujin-kensu-ray-gray-detroit-michigan/72844039007/
In our broken criminal justice system, Donald Trump is not the victim
In our broken criminal justice system, Donald Trump is not the victim | OpinionIf we faced criminal charges, we know it would not help our defense if we insulted or threatened that very same criminal justice system. Yet Trump says he is the victim of a witch hunt.
Bill Proctor
Op-ed contributor
Detroit Free Press) ..........Trump is facing dozens of criminal charges related to election interference and business dealings.
Like clockwork, what follows Trump news is Trump noise. He hurls insults at judges, prosecutors, investigators and their agencies as he pushes back in an ugly, unprecedented fashion to pump up his already angry-at-America base of supporters.
If we faced criminal charges, we know it would not help our defense if we insulted or threatened that very same criminal justice system.
....(snip)....
In June of last year, the right-wing majority of Trump's Supreme Court, led by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, stacked with a right-wing majority, again slammed the door on innocence claims. Trump is counting on this same Supreme Court to save him from criminal prosecution. ...............(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2024/03/18/donald-trump-criminal-charges-justice-system-temujin-kensu-ray-gray-detroit-michigan/72844039007/
March 18, 2024
(Michigan Advance) Just three days after Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano announced he will not seek reelection this fall, a contest has already opened up to fill his seat on the GOP side.
In Michigan Democrats and Republicans nominate Supreme Court candidates at party conventions, although their party affiliation is not listed on the general election ballot.
Viviano, 52, is currently among three Republican-nominated justices on the court, along with Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement and Justice Brian Zahra. Democratic-nominated justices, meanwhile, hold the 4-3 majority: Justices Richard Bernstein, Kyra Bolden, Megan Cavanaugh and Elizabeth Welch.
Following Viviano’s late Friday announcement, both state Rep. Andrew Fink (R-Adams Twp.) and Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Mark Boonstra said they each planned to seek the Republican nomination to replace Viviano when his term expires at the end of the year. ...................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/03/18/vivianos-planned-retirement-from-michigan-supreme-court-opens-up-race-for-2024-gop-nomination/
Viviano's planned retirement from Michigan Supreme Court opens up race for 2024 GOP nomination
(Michigan Advance) Just three days after Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano announced he will not seek reelection this fall, a contest has already opened up to fill his seat on the GOP side.
In Michigan Democrats and Republicans nominate Supreme Court candidates at party conventions, although their party affiliation is not listed on the general election ballot.
Viviano, 52, is currently among three Republican-nominated justices on the court, along with Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement and Justice Brian Zahra. Democratic-nominated justices, meanwhile, hold the 4-3 majority: Justices Richard Bernstein, Kyra Bolden, Megan Cavanaugh and Elizabeth Welch.
Following Viviano’s late Friday announcement, both state Rep. Andrew Fink (R-Adams Twp.) and Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Mark Boonstra said they each planned to seek the Republican nomination to replace Viviano when his term expires at the end of the year. ...................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/03/18/vivianos-planned-retirement-from-michigan-supreme-court-opens-up-race-for-2024-gop-nomination/
March 18, 2024
Follow the money, and you'll find Donald Trump in deep trouble
Fundraising figures tell a story of a troubled Trump campaign and triumphant Biden surge
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
Columnist
PUBLISHED MARCH 18, 2024 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Back in 2000 when Donald Trump first tested the waters of a presidential campaign by giving a series of speeches as a possible Reform Party candidate, he famously told Forbes Magazine, “It’s very possible that I could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it." He was speaking at the time about a weird deal he had going with motivational speaker Anthony Robbins in which he timed his political appearances around paid seminars that Robbins paid him a million bucks to give. By the time he decided to run for real in 2015, he didn't publicly suggest that he could make money campaigning but he did make the case that he was incorruptible saying, "I don't need anybody's money." (He'd obviously figured out that that real graft was to be made once he was in the White House.)
....(snip)....
Trump has been dancing as fast as he can for decades, trying to stay one step ahead of bankruptcy and the law and he has been successful at doing it, apparently leading him to truly believe that he could always prevail by sheer force of will. When the 2020 election didn't go his way, his fragile psyche couldn't take it and he simply created an alternate reality in order to cope. Now he's faced with the greatest challenge of his life, and he has to make one great hail mary pass in order to keep himself from going broke and out of prison. He has to win the presidency and he desperately needs money to pay his own legal expenses and finance his campaign. It's not going all that well.
....(snip)....
But what about his campaign? Considering his precarious personal financial situation there's no way that Trump will be self-funding any part of it and he's commandeered the RNC for his personal use, most likely to help him pay for any lawyers who won't allow him to stiff them. So, according to the New York Times, he's having to hustle like crazy for campaign donations:
He's having to hit up billionaires and Wall Street more than ever before and it sure looks like he's making some deals, such as his abrupt turnaround on banning TikTok last week after meeting with one of their major investors. This is because so far, his small donor base appears to finally be a little bit tapped out. The campaign claims that February will be its strongest month for small dollar fundraising which would beat the $22.3 million in August. But as the Times pointed out, the Biden campaign is seeing a massive rush of small donor money, raising more than $10 million online after the State of the Union, more than doubling Trump's much-ballyhooed haul of $4.2 million from his ignominious mug shot. .............................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/03/18/follow-the-money-and-youll-find-donald-in-deep-trouble/
Follow the money, and you'll find Donald Trump in deep trouble
Follow the money, and you'll find Donald Trump in deep trouble
Fundraising figures tell a story of a troubled Trump campaign and triumphant Biden surge
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
Columnist
PUBLISHED MARCH 18, 2024 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Back in 2000 when Donald Trump first tested the waters of a presidential campaign by giving a series of speeches as a possible Reform Party candidate, he famously told Forbes Magazine, “It’s very possible that I could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it." He was speaking at the time about a weird deal he had going with motivational speaker Anthony Robbins in which he timed his political appearances around paid seminars that Robbins paid him a million bucks to give. By the time he decided to run for real in 2015, he didn't publicly suggest that he could make money campaigning but he did make the case that he was incorruptible saying, "I don't need anybody's money." (He'd obviously figured out that that real graft was to be made once he was in the White House.)
....(snip)....
Trump has been dancing as fast as he can for decades, trying to stay one step ahead of bankruptcy and the law and he has been successful at doing it, apparently leading him to truly believe that he could always prevail by sheer force of will. When the 2020 election didn't go his way, his fragile psyche couldn't take it and he simply created an alternate reality in order to cope. Now he's faced with the greatest challenge of his life, and he has to make one great hail mary pass in order to keep himself from going broke and out of prison. He has to win the presidency and he desperately needs money to pay his own legal expenses and finance his campaign. It's not going all that well.
....(snip)....
But what about his campaign? Considering his precarious personal financial situation there's no way that Trump will be self-funding any part of it and he's commandeered the RNC for his personal use, most likely to help him pay for any lawyers who won't allow him to stiff them. So, according to the New York Times, he's having to hustle like crazy for campaign donations:
One of the most pressing issues facing Mr. Trump is the financial disparity he and allied groups now face with Mr. Biden and the Democratic Party. Mr. Biden’s campaign announced on Sunday that it entered March with $155 million cash on hand with the party, after raising $53 million in February. The Trump operation has not released a more recent total, but his campaign account and the Republican National Committee had around $40 million at the end of January.
He's having to hit up billionaires and Wall Street more than ever before and it sure looks like he's making some deals, such as his abrupt turnaround on banning TikTok last week after meeting with one of their major investors. This is because so far, his small donor base appears to finally be a little bit tapped out. The campaign claims that February will be its strongest month for small dollar fundraising which would beat the $22.3 million in August. But as the Times pointed out, the Biden campaign is seeing a massive rush of small donor money, raising more than $10 million online after the State of the Union, more than doubling Trump's much-ballyhooed haul of $4.2 million from his ignominious mug shot. .............................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/03/18/follow-the-money-and-youll-find-donald-in-deep-trouble/
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