UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE DAY UPDATES
The Fight Continues ...
-Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (SLAVA UKRAINI!) returns to Washington today attempting to rev up the stalling efforts to fund his country's war with Russia. While most of Congress is in favor of a new round of aid, the bill is stalled in the Senate over Republican demands Ukraine aid be merged with border security. The White House has entered negotiations which are, believe it or not, now being mediated by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (The "I" in "Independent," AZ), but progress is slow and now being threatened by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Jay-EE-Zuz!, LA) claiming he will not keep the House open next week to pass those bills - or for that matter aid for any number of other countries including Israel.
-Zelenskyy's visit comes as Republicans increasingly and brazenly identify with Zelenskyy's opponent, Vladimir Putin. OH Sen. J.D. Vance has already spoken of the Ukrainian war as a fait accompli that Russia has won (there is some movement in the northeast, but with winter settling in forces are likely to be at a standstill until the spring) and should therefore begin conceding land back to Russia. And several UltraMAGA House members are accepting a visit from "allies" of Putin ally and UltraMAGA heartthrob Victor Orban at the Heritage Foundation. The Prime Minister of Hungary (whom Trump consistently insists actually rules Turkey) is openly working members of the European Union to end aid for Ukraine, so much so there are rumblings that Hungary should be expelled from the EU for Orban's activity.
-One thing Johnson apparently IS ready to push, however, is a motion to open a formal impeachment inquiry against President Biden. Despite everyone from Republican Senators to Steve Doocy correctly pointing out there is literally nothing Biden has done to warrant such a move, the UltraMAGA House Majority working to create a bothsides argument for Ex-President Trump XCI to flog. Word is would-be impeachment leader Rep. Jim "Gym" Jordan (OtheR Way, OH) has settled on Biden's demand as Vice President to oust a corrupt Ukrainian official - a demand supported by the international community and whose legality has been confirmed by no less than nine witnesses who testified under oath in Congress, many to Committees Jordan himself was on. Johnson insists he has the votes to open an inquiry, but his majority is down to no more than three votes after the expulsion of new Cameo sensation "George Santos."
-The move by Special Prosecutor Jack Smith to call on the Supreme Court to rule on Trump's newest attempt to get absolute immunity (aka the "Do You Know Who I Am?" Rule) has been generally applauded, particularly as SCOTUS already ruled that Presidential immunity is bunkum and their demand to have Team Trump answer to the charges tomorrow. There is concern that they could drag their feet - an "expedited ruling" in SCOTUS terms is 3-6 months - and because it's THIS Supreme Court is is never 100% certain the right thing will be done, by and large legal experts see the move as necessary and gutsy.
-But wait - there's more from Jack! In a separate filing on Monday, Smith revealed he has obtained phone evidence from Trump's phone that includes "the movements of individuals toward the Capitol area during and after the defendant's speech at the Ellipse" and will include expert information on how cellular phone data - including information obtained from Twitter - will help a jury understand what Trump did and did not do in relation to the events on January 6, 2021. The note makes some wonder if Smith has evidence involving direct communications with Trump (remember, he alone is on trial in DC).
-Despite leaving the state of Texas to get an abortion of a non-viable pregnancy that endangered her life, Kate Cox was still banned from getting an abortion in state by the Texas Supreme Court, overruling a lower court ruling and continuing to guarantee the Dobbs decision will be fuel for the 2024 election - particularly as similar cases in GA and OH are now being prosecuted, whether they appear in polling or not.
-If there is any more evidence needed to see just how far down the site formerly known as Twitter has become, note this: on the evening Elon Musk "welcomed back" hate speech podcaster and Sandy Hook slanderer Alex Jones on the site with a live panel of the type of users Musk now wants on the site, including pardoned insurrectionist/traitor Michael Flynn, banned-from-Uber Muslim bigot Laura Loomer, misogynistic human-trafficking charged rapist Andrew Tate, and Pizzagate promoter Jack Posobiec. (You can find me on Threads, where at least that oligarch isn't openly pandering to these folks, so ... yay?)
-Can we close with some positive legal news? Good. Let's talk Rudy Giuliani. His trial to determine damages for having slandered GA election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss started inauspiciously - Rudes entered court late, was seen with his belt buckle and front zipper askew in the early moments of jury selection, and ended with a statement to the press reasserting the lies that got him into court in the first place (and which got a rebuke from the judge this morning). Giuliani may be liable to pay up to $43 million, though multiple reports claim he may be insolvent and suffering from alcoholism and/or dementia.
-ALLEGEDLY.
-For legal reasons!
-On this date in 1901, Guglielmo Marconi sent the first wireless message across the Atlantic Ocean. On this date in 1913, the Mona Lisa was recovered two years after thieves stolen. On this date in 1930, baseball established the ground-rule double rule. On this date in 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the count of votes in FL - votes that would have given the state to Al Gore - and effectively declared George W. Bush the winner of the 2000 election. And on this date in 2015, the Kyoto Protocols were replaced with the COP21 agreement attempting to lower global temperatures (hey, they tried).
-Notable premieres on this date: A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966), GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967), SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977).
-Happy Birthday to John Jay, Gustave Flaubert, Edvard Munch, Frank Sinatra, Joe Williams, Bob Barker, Ed Koch, John Osborne, Bob Pettit, Buford Pusser, Connie Francis, Dionne Warwick, Dickey Betts, Grover Washington Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, Irving Azoff, Bill Nighy, Cathy Rigby, Robert Lepage, Shiela E., Tracy Austin, Jennifer Connelly, Orlando Brown, Jenny Conlee, Mayim Bialik, and Otto Warmbier.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Robert Browning, Douglas Fairbanks, Tallulah Bankhead, Jack Cassidy, Clifton Chenier, Anne Baxter, Ken Keltner, Mo Udall, Joseph Heller, Peter Boyle, Pat DiNizio, Danny Aiello, Ann Reinking, Charley Pride, John le Carre, Roland Hemond, Vicente Fernandez, Mike Leach, and Stuart Margolin.
-Rock and Roll founder and noted woman abuser Ike Turner died on this date. You decide if he gets a Happy Birthday or if he Feeds the Worms (and honestly, let him feed the worms).