Counties Report Total Withdrawn Recall Signatures; Enough Remain to Initiate Recall Election
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/24/2021 02:34 PM
Sacramento, CA...California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D. notified the Department of Finance (DOF) by letter today that county elections officials reported a total of 43signatures have been withdrawn statewide from petitions to recall Governor Gavin Newsom, and that the remaining 1,719,900verified signatures still meet the threshold to initiate a recall election.
Washington, DC... It is a sad day for media freedom in Hong Kong and around the world. Intensifying repression by Beijing has reached such a level that Apple Daily, a much-needed bastion of independent journalism in Hong Kong, has now ceased publishing. Through arrests, threats, and forcing through a National Security Law that penalizes free speech, Beijing has insisted on wielding its power to suppress independent media and silence dissenting views.
President Biden on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/24/2021 10:29 PM
Washington, DC....Please, please be seated. I got my notes here. Well, good afternoon. If you hear a little noise in the background, it’s because I’m supposed to be getting on a helicopter to head to North Carolina, which I’m going to be doing short- — right after this. And the Vice President and I, though, want to lay out what we’ve just settled, at least for the moment, with our friends — the bipartisan group of senators.
Speaker Pelosi Announces Plans for Select Committee on the January 6th at Weekly Press Conference
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/24/2021 10:58 PM
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi held her weekly press conference today in the Capitol Visitor Center. Below are the Speaker’s remarks: Speaker Pelosi. Good morning. The dome of this Capitol has always been a beacon of democracy and hope to America and to the world. Under this dome, our nation has abolished slavery, secured equal protections for people across our country, ended the Civil War, enfranchised women, established Medicare and Medicaid and met the needs of the American people in so many ways. Under the dome of the Capitol, children learn about our country's history and what we are doing to advance their future, legislators pass laws, press engage in reporting on our democracy and staff and workers enable all of this to happen. This dome has been a symbol of determination in our country.
Pelosi on Confirmation of Patti Ross as VA Assistant Secretary for the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/24/2021 11:11 PM
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the Senate confirmed by unanimous consent Patricia Ross, Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Speaker, to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs at Department of Veterans Affairs:
Governor Newsom Declares State of Emergency for Madera and Mariposa Counties Due to January Wind Event
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/23/2021 07:48 AM
Sacramento, CA...Governor Gavin Newsom today issued an emergency proclamation for the counties of Madera and Mariposa to assist communities recovering from extreme winds in January 2021 that resulted in power outages, downed trees and caused significant damage to critical infrastructure including power lines and roads.
Pelosi Statement on Senate Republicans’ Vote Against The For The People Act
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/23/2021 07:53 AM
Washington, DC...Speaker Pelosi issued this statement after every Senate Republican voted against advancing debate on the For The People Act: “The For The People Act is the remedy to the anti-democratic tide that is sweeping our nation. It will restore a government of, by and for the people: combating the hundreds upon hundreds of state-wide voter suppression bills already introduced, the vicious gerrymandering plotted by partisan lawmakers and the torrent of big dark special interest money suffocating the airwaves.
Feinstein Supports Ahuja Nomination as OPM Director
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/23/2021 07:56 AM
Washington, DC...Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today announced her support for the nomination of Kiran Ahuja to be director of the Office of Personnel Management. Ahuja recently told Senator Feinstein that, if confirmed, she would work to help resolve the pay disparity between federal and state firefighters, a critical issue as California enters what is expected to be another devastating wildfire season and federal agencies attempt to staff their ranks of wildland firefighters. The pay disparity is a leading cause of federal staffing shortfalls in wildland firefighting.
Supreme Court Votes 9-0 to Keep Existing Fourth Amendment Protections Against Blanket Right of Warrantless Police Entry
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/23/2021 10:38 AM
Washington, DC...The US Supreme Court upheld the current Fourth Amendment protections and refused to expand the scope of police rights to enter a home without a warrant. Under the Fourth Amendment pursuit of a fleeing misdemeanor suspect does not always or categorically qualify as an exigent circumstance justifying a warrantless entry into a home. Justice Kagan delivered the opinion of the Court in Arthur Gregory Lange vs California. Click on the the following link or image of the current US Supreme Court for a full PDF on the caet and Justice Kagan's opinion. 20-18_cb7d
John B. Calhoun’s Mouse Utopia Experiment and Reflections on the Welfare State ~ Lawrence W. Reed
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/23/2021 11:48 AM
Atlanta, GA...One of the more famous ethologists in recent decades was John B. Calhoun, best known for his mouse experiments in the 1960s. To what extent do the mouse utopia lessons apply to humans? Signs in national and state parks all over America warn visitors, “Please Don’t Feed the Animals.” Some of those government-owned parks provide further explanation, such as “The animals may bite” or “It makes them dependent.”
