- CNN Anchor Erin Burnett accurately describing the Kremlin’s reaction to the loss of their ace in the hole
|
|
|
The House GOP has passed its national ransom note called the “Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023” and folks, it’s as bad as we thought it would be.
-
Ever the absolutely inept leader, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced to reporters on Tuesday GOP plans to pass his heinous bill in an effort to force Dems to the bargaining table, even though the bill is virtually dead on arrival in the Senate, and President Biden has made clear he won’t have a hostage negotiation with Republicans threatening to plunge the country into default on the national debt. The bill would lift the debt limit by $1.5 trillion but would slash funding for federal agencies, limit growth in government spending to a scant one percent, and cancel various White House initiatives like student-debt cancellation and adequate funding for the IRS. You’re saying a bunch of people who love to cheat on their taxes want to take an ax to IRS funding? Well now I’ve seen it all.
-
The proposed debt-limit increase would also only last through March 2024, which is yet another reason Biden will reject this ransom demand out of hand: Republicans would just come back and do this again in less than a year! Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that even if this bill passes the House, it has no chance in the upper chamber because Democratic lawmakers have (rightly) insisted that the debt-limit should be raised without preconditions. It’s just paying what we already owe.
- House Republicans concluded earlier this year that Medicare and Social Security are too popular and deeply entrenched to propose cutting without suffering huge political consequences, but they’ve also ruled out cutting defense spending, which would be the most obvious category to scale back. That means absolutely obliterating programs that help the most financially strapped Americans. First on the GOP chopping block is Medicaid, which Republicans want to slash by adding work requirements and additional red tape, which would effectively kick over two-million people off of the health-care program, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.
|
|
|
Sounds bad, huh!
-
Well, the House GOP passed it all anyhow. And even though it has basically no chance of becoming law, it demonstrates a number of things we already know to be true about Republicans. First, that Kevin McCarthy is a complete clown:even though the bill’s passage is being touted as a “victory” for McCarthy, he barely got enough votes in his own party to get it out of the lower chamber, and now that it’s passed, it’ll be fodder for Democratic campaign attack ads. Second, it illustrates the true hollowness of the GOP’s “populist” charade. Republicans have the dubious distinction of being the only major political party in the industrialized world that opposes access to basic health care as a human right. Cool party!
-
McCarthy made some last-minute concessions to win over his colleagues in corn-producing states of the country like Iowa, who did not want to see McCarthy repeal ethanol tax credits, including those in the Inflation Reduction Act. So the Corn Republicans are happy, and poor people get kicked off their health care. Another piece of perfect GOP legislation.
So where does this bill go from here? To hell, hopefully. President Biden said he will not negotiate with debt ceiling terrorists, but is “happy to meet” with McCarthy to talk about other issues. White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt excoriated the bill and accused the Speaker of having “cut a deal with the most extreme MAGA elements of his party.” This shitstorm was perhaps best summarized by Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) when he said it’s “completely appropriate” for members of Congress to debate and discuss spending as an annual practice, but “It is not appropriate to use the loaded gun of default to coerce a particular menu of cuts.” That’s much more polite than I would have been.
|
|
|
Friends of the pod, Crooked is venturing across the pond with our brand new podcast Pod Save the UK! This hilarious and insightful new podcast is your go-to source for everything UK politics. Hosted by comedian Nish Kumar and journalist Coco Khan, it's everything you love about Crooked podcasts, but with a British twist. From strikes to scandals, they cover all the topics that matter.
From the minds of Crooked Media and our friends at Reduced Listening, you won't want to miss a single episode of Pod Save The UK, Listen to the trailer now, wherever you get your podcasts!
|
|
|
In a struggle that is making us somehow root for a huge corporation, Disney sued Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on Wednesday, alleging that the governor’s only basis for trying to commandeer its Florida theme park was a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” after the company publicly opposed DeSantis’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay'' law. The suit directly coincided with the DeSantis-appointed Disney World oversight board voting to void a deal that gave the company local autonomy over design and construction decisions. DeSantis, who has attempted to position himself as a “no-drama,” further-right version of Trump, has done nothing except embroil himself in culture-war issues, and his decision to take aim at such a beloved institution is a big political head-scratcher. Disney’s lawsuit has been assigned to Judge Mark Walker, a notably progressive Obama appointee who has struck down many of DeSantis’ most notorious anti-free speech measures in Florida.
|
|
|
As if the Nazi memorabilia were not enough, here are some more unsettling facts about billionaire GOP mega donor (and personal benefactor of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas) Harlan Crow. Crow and his family were granted passports for St. Kitts and Nevis, a notorious tax haven that deals in a cash-for-citizenship scheme and promises impermeable financial secrecy for billionaires like Crow. Financial-transparency experts have noted that the island’s tax officials would ensure that Crow’s assets would be extremely difficult to track. According to a collaborative report of international investigative journalism, customers of agencies that obtain tax haven passports are disproportionately oligarchs, fugitives, and businesspeople of dubious repute. On Monday, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden sent Crow a letter requesting that he provide evidence that he “complied with all relevant federal tax and ethics laws.” St. Kitts and Nevis has been designated on the European Union’s list of “non-cooperative jurisdictions,” referencing obstinance to global efforts to combat money laundering and other financial crimes. Wow, this Harlan Crow guy is so nakedly corrupt I bet we’ll see him on the 2024 Republican ticket.
|
|
|
"How'd you sleep last night?" If you answered, "Not so great... just okay... or don't ask," you're not alone. One out of three Americans report being sleep deprived, and your sheets could be the problem. The wrong sheets can trap body heat leaving you boiling one minute and freezing the next. The solution? Cozy Earth Bamboo Sheets!
Cozy Earth Sheets b-r-e-a-t-h-e ... so you sleep at the perfect temperature all year round. Made from 100% premium viscose from bamboo, Cozy Earth are the SOFTEST, most luxurious, and best temperature-regulating sheets on the planet.
Don't believe it? Cozy Earth is the brand that has made Oprah's Favorite Things Five Years in a Row. That’s how awesome their products are!
Whether it's their luxury sheets, loungewear, pajamas, or new bath towel collection-- you'll love shopping at Cozy Earth. Check them out today and save up to 35% at CozyEarth.com/CROOKED.
|
|
|
|
|
