Some kind of slapping conspiracy.

Tuesday, June 8, 2021
BY BRIAN BEUTLER & CROOKED MEDIA


** -Cher ([link removed]) , at her most relatable
------------------------------------------------------------

Now that democracy reform is toast, voting-rights reform is on life support, and the rest of President Biden’s agenda is in limbo, it’s time to REGROUP. Folks, it’s finally true: Democrats are in disarray!
* The crisis moment roughly divides activists on the outside, intent on doing everything in their power to prevent America from sliding into the abyss, and elected officials on the inside who seem... somewhat less alarmed. After Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced he would oppose any effort to protect democracy that Republicans (haha) didn’t also support (big lolz) Stacey Abrams’s group, Fair Fight Action, announced a month-long campaign called Hot Call Summer ([link removed]) , which aims to mobilize up to 10 million voters in swing states in support of H.R. 1.

* Abrams’s efforts will supplement the Poor People’s Campaign, which announced it will mobilize in West Virginia, and a full court press from major civil rights groups, whose leaders met with Manchin on Tuesday. Manchin claimed to be unmoved after the meeting, but attendees said there is still room for consensus. "Our goal was to establish and build the relationship and we accomplished that," NAACP President Derrick Johnson told NPR ([link removed]) . "Now the real work starts because the commitment from the senator and from us is that we would maintain the dialogue and work as hard as possible to come up with a solution that can actually become policy."

* There are even some members of Congress who have taken a hands-on approach to the Manchin problem ([link removed]) . Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including House Majority Whip James Clyburn, have been vocally critical of Manchin. On the other side of the Capitol, Sen. Brain Schatz (D-HI) put the onus on Manchin to resolve the internal contradictions of his position: “Anyone who is defending the 60-vote threshold has an obligation to help the body to get to 60 votes,” he said.

Elsewhere, Democrats are treading much more lightly.
* Many Senate Democrats are reluctant to criticize Manchin ([link removed]) for fear of “poking the bear.” The party has separately shelved its main tool for protecting democracy that isn’t subject to the filibuster—using investigative and legal powers to expose Republican corruption, and complicity in trying to steal elections. Nearly two weeks after Republicans filibustered the January 6 commission, House Democrats haven’t yet launched a dedicated investigation of the insurrection, because, according to Speaker Nancy Pelosi ([link removed]) , “we are still hoping the Senate will pass the January 6th Commission.” The Biden administration likewise continues to conceal Trump’s tax returns and Trump-era deliberations over covering up Trump’s obstruction of justice, and (most bizarrely) has adopted the Trump Justice Department’s position ([link removed]
biden-justice-department-defends-trump-in-suit-over-rape-denial-492088) that the government should defend Trump in a libel suit filed by E. Jean Carroll, who has accused him of rape.

* Meanwhile Republicans, who are historically favored to do well in next year’s midterms, are all but recruiting candidates who supported overturning the 2020 election ([link removed]) and argue in effect that Democratic victories are illegitimate, “raising new doubts,” as the New York Times put it ([link removed]) , “about whether Americans can still count on the routine, nonpartisan certification of free and fair elections.”

We can’t know whether anything will change Joe Manchin’s mind. But either way, Democrats’ plan going forward should be simple: do as much as is in their power to do to protect democracy on every front. Aggressive oversight instead of “bipartisan” whitewashes ([link removed]) . Accountability under the law instead of a return to a pre-Trump “normalcy” ([link removed]) that the other party rejects. It’s an emergency, and everyone who recognizes that should act like it.

This week on Takeline, hosts Jason Concepcion and Renee Montgomery talk to Two-Time NBA Champion Chris Bosh about his new book and being selected to the Naismith basketball hall of fame! New episodes of Takeline every Tuesday. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
[link removed]

An incredible leak to ProPublica provides a more vivid illustration of American inequality, and the different rules that the ultrawealthy play by, than any we’ve ever seen. ([link removed]) ProPublica obtained highly sensitive IRS records of America’s wealthiest tax filers, and they prove what most progressives suspected, and most conservatives and rich people deny: Billionaires use commonly known and obscure tax-avoidance strategies to pay close to nothing in federal income taxes. At least once in the past 15 years, billionaires Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Michael Bloomberg, Carl Icahn, and George Soros paid literally none. From 2014-2018, Warren Buffet paid a true tax rate of 0.1 percent; Bezos, 0.98 percent; Bloomberg, 1.3 percent; and Musk (a total sucker, apparently) 3.27 percent. By the end of 2018, the 25 richest Americans were worth $1.1 trillion—or about as wealthy as
14.3 million American of ordinary wealth. Yet those 14.3 million wage earners paid 75 times more in taxes than the 25 billionaires did. Whoever leaked this data did so at great personal risk, but hopefully it can lend heft to efforts to increase tax rates and enforcement on the ultrarich. As economist Gabriel Zucman, a leading authority on American and global wealth inequality, put it ([link removed]) , “it was always clear that the top billionaires don't pay much tax. But even I am surprised at how low their effective tax rate is.”
* President Biden has withdrawn from infrastructure negotiations with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) ([link removed]) —who was a proxy for the GOP leadership—and will instead engage with a different, more independent bipartisan working group.

* Joe Manchin’s pro-filibuster, anti-H.R. 1 talking points appear to be cribbed from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ([link removed]) , a Republican aligned corporate lobbying association.

* Republican efforts to spread lies and sow doubt about the 2020 elections do seem to be hurting them politically ([link removed]) , at least for now.

* On the other hand, a new study of Democratic swing voters and progressive “surge” voters in swing districts conducted by a top Biden pollster ([link removed]) finds they’re not sure what the Democratic Party stands for, and that the party risks a drop off in 2022 if it doesn’t make good on its promises.

* Democrats on the Federal Elections Commission have discovered a creative way to work around Republican efforts to defang election-law enforcement ([link removed]) : block the commission from defending itself in court when advocates sue it for failing to do its job, creating a cause of action for those advocates to sue campaigns directly.

* Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) won’t run for Senate ([link removed]) .

* Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Rioters) wants to cancel Biden’s nominee to run the government’s Office of Personnel Management ([link removed]) because she once invited Ibram X. Kendi to give a speech at the charity she ran, and also linked to one of his blog posts.

* Rep. Moe Brooks (R-AL) failed to avoid a civil lawsuit for inciting insurrection by hiding from a process server ([link removed]) , but his wife, at least, didn't go down without a fight. Bonus video ([link removed]) .

* Rep./Potential Sex-Crimes Felon Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is too toxic even for Newsmax ([link removed]) , which denied him a job.

* Some guy slapped French President Emanuel Macron ([link removed]) , and apparently it was some kind of slapping conspiracy because two people were arrested.

The Food and Drug Administration’s decision to approve an Alzheimer's therapy promises to create a huge headache for Medicare ([link removed]) , the public health insurance system for seniors. Biogen claims its drug aducanumab can treat the root causes of Alzheimer’s, rather than just slow the progression of its symptoms. Sounds great, right? Except: Many dumbfounded scientists say there’s little evidence the treatment actually works ([link removed]) , and it’s incredibly expensive. Combine that with the high incidence of Alzheimer’s among the Medicare-eligible population, and you have a recipe for this one pharmaceutical to cause Medicare prescription-drug spending to explode. That leaves Medicare administrators in the unenviable position of deciding whether to deny millions of seniors access to an FDA-approved treatment that they think might salvage their golden years, or upend Medicare’s finances to
cover a dubious treatment. Option one could cause Medicare spending on pharmaceuticals to more than double, option two would upend Medicare’s general approach to covering new, unproven drugs.
[link removed]

CARIUMA ([link removed]) is the sustainable sneaker brand creating classic, seriously comfortable kicks in a way that's better for you and the planet. Their eco-conscious styles are designed with natural, premium materials and come with a pair of their signature vegan insoles, made from cork, mamona oil and memory foam, designed to mimic the comfort of a broken-in shoe in a brand-new pair of sneakers.

We heard that their best selling OCA sneakers had a waiting list of more than 26 thousand -- both the low-top and high-top styles are handmade from organic cotton canvas, with a natural rubber outsole that’s actually stitched on for extra durability.

Their 100% vegan IBI sneaker – made with bamboo, sugarcane, and recycled plastics – recently had a waitlist of over 20 thousand people. Now, the IBI family is growing by one: the new IBI Slip-On has three times lower carbon emissions than your average sneaker, pairing a lightweight, perfect-fit bamboo knit with the comfort & ease of a slip-on. They’re even machine-washable. Slip them on to wander miles (or just to grab the mail).

CARIUMA's Reforestation Program is an essential part of their long-term commitment to ecological restoration. For every pair of sneakers sold, CARIUMA plants a pair of trees in the Brazilian rainforest, where over 20% of the forest floor has been clear-cut or otherwise deforested. Re-planting is essential to restore the natural biodiversity and carbon-capturing potential of this diverse ecosystem.

Find your perfect pair! What A Day readers receive an exclusive 15% off your pair of CARIUMA sneakers for a limited time ([link removed]) .


New Labor Department data shows that job openings soared to over nine million in April ([link removed]) , and workers were voluntarily leaving their jobs in search of more lucrative or fulfilling opportunities at a historic rate.

Texas Dems have launched a comprehensive plan to register millions of voters ahead of the 2022 midterms ([link removed]) , an explicit counter to GOP efforts to rig the state’s elections.

Support for same-sex marraige in the U.S. has reached an all time high of 70 percent ([link removed]) , driven by increasing support among Republicans, a majority of whom now support legal recognition.

A new affordable-housing initiative of around two dozen buildings in New York City ([link removed]) will ply savings from solar power into providing high-speed internet to low-income residents.
[link removed]

============================================================
. . . . . .
** ([link removed])

© Crooked Media 2021. All Rights Reserved.
If you want to manage which emails you receive from Crooked Media, ** update your preferences here ([link removed])
. If you prefer to opt out of all Crooked Media communications, you may ** unsubscribe ([link removed])
.
** Share this newsletter ([link removed])
7162 Beverly Blvd #212, Los Angeles, CA, 90036
** Powered by Mailchimp ([link removed])
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Link ([link removed])