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Monday, October 2, 2023

Congress Comes to Terms on Government Funding Bill to Avoid Shutdown

The short-term bill will last 45 days and expire just before Thanksgiving. Associated Press: The threat of a federal government shutdown suddenly lifted late Saturday as President Joe Biden signed a temporary funding bill to keep agencies open with little time to spare after Congress rushed to approve the bipartisan deal. The package drops aid to Ukraine, a White House priority opposed by a growing number of GOP lawmakers, but increases federal disaster assistance by $16 billion, meeting Biden’s full request. The bill funds government until Nov. 17. After chaotic days of turmoil in the House, Speaker Kevin McCarthy abruptly abandoned demands for steep spending cuts from his right flank and instead relied on Democrats to pass the bill, at risk to his own job. The Senate followed with final passage closing a whirlwind day at the Capitol (Associated Press). NBC: The House voted on an overwhelming, bipartisan basis, 335-91, for a short-term funding bill, known as a continuing resolution or CR; 209 Democrats and 126 Republicans voted yes, while 90 Republicans voted no (NBC).

Rep. Matt Gaetz Says He Will File Motion to Oust Speaker McCarthy This Week

Just the News: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz declared Sunday he will seek to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker after a drama-filled scramble to pass a federal budget forced a last-minute temporary spending bill that required Democrat votes to pass. Gaetz, leader of a wing of fiscal conservatives that wanted all 12 federal agency spending bills passed instead of a continuing resolution, said McCarthy’s maneuvering on Saturday violated the deal he made in January to become speaker (Just the News). Rep. Matt Gaetz: I will file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy this week (X). Face the Nation: “I’ll survive,” House Speaker McCarthy says after Rep. Matt Gaetz said Sunday that he will introduce a motion to vacate McCarthy from his seat this week. “Bring it on. Let’s get over with it” (X).

Radical Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) Allegedly Pulls Fire Alarm to Delay Vote of Continued Resolution

Fox News: Progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., pulled a fire alarm in one of the House of Representatives’ three office buildings amid a chaotic morning as lawmakers scrambled to avert a likely government shutdown. Committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said the matter is being investigated now. Bowman is being questioned by the Capitol Police’s criminal investigation unit. “Rep. Jamal Bowman pulled a fire alarm in Cannon this morning. An investigation into why it was pulled is underway,” Steil said. It happened just after House Republicans announced they would rush a stopgap spending bill known as a continuing resolution (CR) to the House floor on Saturday, just as the Senate is weighing its own CR as well. Democrats were caught off-guard by the announcement and complained the GOP was not giving them enough time to properly read the bill, which is over 70 pages long (Fox News). Jake Sherman: Capitol Police are circulating this photo of a man pulling the fire alarm in Cannon. Looks a lot like Jamaal Bowman (X). Collin Rugg: Democrat Representative Jamaal Bowman allegedly committed a felony by pulling a fire alarm to delay the congressional vote to fund the government. Bowman was reportedly caught on camera pulling the fire alarm which is in violation of 1512(c)(2) “obstruction of an official proceeding.” He can face up to 6 months in prison (X). CNN: Bowman’s office said it was an accident, and the congressman told reporters later Saturday: “I was trying to get to a door. I thought the alarm would open the door, and I pulled the fire alarm to open the door by accident.” “I was just trying to get to my vote and the door that’s usually open wasn’t open, it was closed,” Bowman added (CNN).

Universities Coddling Students Fosters Dependency on Government to Fix Their Issues Post-Graduation

James Martin Center: Universities are supposed to prepare young people to become independent by teaching them critical thinking and preparing them for careers. When a young adult enters university, we expect him or her to come out prepared to handle life as an independent and resilient adult. After nearly 20 years teaching at San José State University (SJSU), including living on campus for two years as a faculty-in-residence, that universities are creating a dependency on government systems. Creating dependency is done in a variety of ways. One way is by treating students as children. At SJSU, I saw this often. The University Health Center held Saturday morning cartoon events for students to attend in pajamas while they ate cereal and watched television meant for kindergartners. Another method to ensure the raising of a dependent generation is safeguarding students from offense. This includes the use of trigger warnings, which some no longer call trigger warnings because the word “trigger” may be triggering; safe spaces, where students won’t be confronted with ideas that may offend them; counseling services, when, e.g., President Trump won the 2016 election; and the changing of terms, to avoid upsetting students. SJSU recently changed the term academic probation, which was previously used when a student’s grade point average fell below a C, to “academic notice.” The most harmful tactic universities employ to ensure a government-dependent generation is the constant poverty narrative students are surrounded by (James Martin Center).

Biden Proposes to Hold Fewest Offshore Oil Drilling Lease Licenses in History

Just the News: The Biden administration laid out its offshore oil and gas leasing program for the next five years, with only three Gulf of Mexico lease sales through 2029 — resulting in the fewest offshore oil drilling leases in U.S. history. The plan is expected to be finalized by the end of the year. It blocks leasing off the Alaskan coast, Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Under the terms of a 2022 climate law, the government must offer at least 60 million acres of offshore oil and gas leases in any one-year period before it can offer offshore wind leases. The three oil lease sales are the minimum number that can be legally offered if the Biden administration wants to continue expanding offshore wind development (Just the News). Fox News: Under the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the federal government is required to issue plans every five years laying out prospective offshore oil and gas lease sales. The most recent plan, which was implemented in 2017, expired in June 2022. The persistent delay in issuing a proposed plan represents a departure from precedent set by both Republican and Democratic administrations, which have historically finalized replacements immediately after previous plans expired. The option to hold no lease sales over the course of five years also represented an unprecedented departure. The most recent two plans, both formulated under the Obama administration, included more than 10 offshore oil and gas lease sales each. The Trump administration sought to hold a total of 47 lease sales across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska’s coasts between 2022 and 2027 (Fox News).

President Biden Tries Another Approach to Cancel Student Loan Debt

Insider: President Joe Biden’s Education Department just took the next step on its second attempt to get broad student-debt relief to millions of borrowers. The Supreme Court ruled the HEROES Act was the improper law to carry out relief as a result of the pandemic, so the department announced it would be trying again using the Higher Education Act of 1965, which does not require the existence of a national emergency. The Higher Education Act requires the administration go through the negotiated rulemaking process, which includes a series of negotiation sessions and periods of public comment. The department’s Friday announcement released the names of the negotiators, along with topics the negotiations will focus on in the upcoming sessions. The Education Department released a list of 26 selected negotiators to participate in the upcoming sessions, the first of which will be held on October 10 and 11 (Insider). In the meantime, Biden is still attempting to forgive as many loans as possible. So far, he has forgiven over 804,000 student loans to the price tag of $39 billion (Insider).

First Co-Defendant of Trump Pleads Guilty to Five Misdemeanor Counts of Election-Related Charges

National Review: A first co-defendant indicted by a Georgia grand jury in connection with former president Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election pleaded guilty on Friday. Scott Hall is the first of 19 Trump allies who agreed to enter a plea in the case. Also the first defendant to turn himself in to authorities in Georgia in August, Hall pleaded guilty to “five misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with the performance of election duties” (National Review). CNBC: At a hearing in Fulton County Superior Court, Hall confirmed to Judge Scott McAfee that his plea deal requires him to testify in future proceedings in the case, including trials of his co-defendants, including Trump. The 59-year-old bail bondsman will serve five years of probation, pay a $5,000 fine, and perform 200 hours of community service as part of that deal. McAfee also ordered Hall to write a letter of apology to the state of Georgia for his crimes and to have no involvement in the administration of elections (CNBC).

Elon Musk Travels with Congressman to Southern Texas to Expose Open Border

Reuters: Billionaire Elon Musk waded into the U.S. immigration debate on Thursday, paying a visit to the Texas border with Mexico to meet with local politicians and law enforcement and obtain what he called an “unfiltered” view of the situation. Musk’s visit came as thousands of migrants have ventured to northern Mexico in recent days on freight trains and buses, then crossed the U.S. border into Texas, Arizona and California in an upswing in arrivals of people seeking asylum in the United States (Reuters). Elon Musk: Went to the Eagle Pass border crossing to see what’s really going on (X). Daily Mail: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday accused a Stetson-wearing Elon Musk of taking a ‘joyride’ to the U.S.-Mexico border, after he traveled to the Texan city of Eagle Pass and warned some ‘pretty extreme people’ were arriving illegally. Musk said he was concerned about stories of violent criminals finding their way into the country among those fleeing poverty and conflict. He discussed stories of people with gang tattoos on their faces being allowed to claim asylum, and said it was ‘insane.’ ‘They have murdered someone and they are so proud of having murdered someone they tattoo one tear on their face for every person they have killed,’ said Musk (Daily Mail).

Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich Has Been Detained in Russia for Six Months

Fox News: Friday marked six months since Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained by Russia and accused of espionage, making him the first American journalist held by the Kremlin on such charges since the Cold War. Gershkovich was detained March 29 during a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, the fourth-largest city in Russia, and accused of being a spy. The U.S. has all along asserted that Russia’s allegation is ridiculous on its face, as have his colleagues, who describe the 31-year-old American-born son of Soviet immigrants as a diligent reporter who is being used as a political pawn due to his high profile (Fox News). Washington Examiner: The Biden administration continues its efforts to secure Gershkovich’s release, as well as that of Paul Whelan, an American businessman who is serving a 16-year prison sentence also on espionage charges that both he and the U.S. government have said are trumped up. The Biden administration agreed to two prisoner swaps with Russia last year, securing the releases of Brittney Griner and Trevor Reed, but U.S. government officials have said Russian authorities treat those accused of espionage differently than other detainees. The U.S. gave up two convicted Russians in those deals, pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko for Reed and notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner (Washington Examiner).

10.

Los Angeles Enacts Controversial Zero Bail Policy

Daily Wire: Zero-bail policy — a process eliminating set cash bail amounts for suspect criminals accused of misdemeanors and specific non-violent felonies — took effect in Los Angeles County on Sunday even as a dozen cities challenge the controversial system in court. But just before the policy took effect, a dozen cities in Los Angeles County filed a court action on Friday, arguing it poses a threat to public safety (Daily Wire). Human Dilemma: Zero-bail policy has been implemented in Los Angeles County, replacing the traditional cash-based system. The zero-bail policy is now officially in place in Los Angeles County. This policy signifies the discontinuation of the longstanding practice of determining bail amounts for defendants based on the alleged crime’s severity. Critics argue that this previous system disproportionately favored the wealthy and did not significantly enhance public safety (X).