December 5, 2020

Another Trump spam lawsuit tossed

(Detroit Free Press) LANSING — The Michigan Court of Appeals on Friday rejected an appeal from the Trump presidential campaign challenging Michigan's election results, in the latest in a series of court defeats for the president.

In a 2-1 decision, the court chastised the campaign for dragging its feet on the appeal, said the certification of Michigan's election results by the Board of State Canvassers in the interim had made the lawsuit moot, and said that if the Trump campaign wanted to challenge the results it could have requested a recount, but did not.

"Plaintiff failed to follow clear law in Michigan relative to such matters," the court said.

Trump and his supporters have filed a series of lawsuits in battleground states around the country and in Michigan, where no judge has given credence to any of the claims. .......(more)

https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/12/04/court-rejects-another-trump-election-lawsuit/3832050001/

December 5, 2020

Florida man blasts 'Cops' theme song in his car during traffic stop, ends up in jail

“Bad boys, bad boys. Whatcha gonna do?”

Those were the words a brazen “bad boy” was jamming out to during a traffic stop in southwest Florida this week, authorities said.

The alleged street racer shamelessly blasted the reggae classic, which is the theme song for the hit TV show “Cops,” after getting pulled over on a highway near Naples late Wednesday night, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

The 19-year-old suspect, Oscar Llera Iturralde, was one of three men arrested that night after deputies caught them in “an illegal speed contest,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. ..............(more)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/florida-man-blasts-cops-theme-song-in-his-car-during-traffic-stop-ends-up-in-jail-police/ar-BB1bDNoj?li=BBnbcA1

December 4, 2020

Air taxis and gondolas: Tampa Bay looks to the skies for next transit options

Imagine flying in a small, pilot-free aircraft between Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, or riding in an aerial gondola — like at a ski resort — to get from Tropicana Field to the St. Pete Pier.

They’re not concepts lifted from a comic book or sci-fi movie, but real-life proposals being considered by Tampa Bay transit officials. They fit into the latest vision for local transportation — innovative, creative and futuristic.

Transit leaders are moving beyond buses and ferries to think of ground-breaking ways to move people around an area that grows more congested.

The state Legislature gave the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority $1 million to study three emerging technologies — air taxis, aerial gondolas and Hyperloop, capsules designed to zip through tubes at 700 mph. ............(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/alt-mobility/news/21165099/fl-air-taxis-and-gondolas-tampa-bay-looks-to-the-skies-for-next-transit-options

December 4, 2020

San Francisco: MUNI Considers Laying Off 22% of Its Drivers, Engineers & Maintenance Staff

(SFist) The San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority is potentially looking at laying off 1,000 to 1,200 of its staff in the next fiscal year, which would mean many Muni drivers and maintenance workers losing their jobs starting next summer.

Despite federal stimulus funds and cost-cutting measures over the last year, the lack of daily ridership and ongoing fixes to the Muni Metro system mean that the agency will face a $68 million budget deficit this fiscal year, and a $168 million deficit in the next fiscal year beginning July 2021. As the Examiner reports, that leaves the agency in the position to begin anticipating necessary layoffs of personnel to close the budget gap — particularly with no clear idea when ridership will return to the Muni system.

Calling the situation "far worse" than was even anticipated in the spring, SFMTA chief Jeffrey Tumlin pointed to the lack of a second stimulus package or any federal bailouts for transit as being partly to blame. And he said in a statement to the Examiner that it's especially terrible that the first people to lose their jobs will be the ones who have been front-line workers through the pandemic, and most at risk of becoming infected with the coronavirus.

"It tears me apart to think that now those people are at risk of losing their jobs, and to lose your job in San Francisco in this economy means jeopardizing your ability to pay rent or your mortgage," Tumlin said. "This is unconscionable. That this is even possible in a country like the United States of America baffles me." ............(more)

https://sfist.com/2020/12/01/sfmta-considering-laying-off-one-fifth-of-its-drivers-engineers-and-maintenance-staff/

December 4, 2020

What hath the Republicans wrought: Will Trump's insanity finally rip the party apart?

What hath the Republicans wrought: Will Trump's insanity finally rip the party apart?
Whatever happens in Georgia, Trump's conspiracy theories have created a deranged third force the GOP can't control

By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
DECEMBER 4, 2020 2:07PM


(Salon) Over the past few years both the media and Democratic officials have often reported that certain Republicans say on background or in private that they really can't stand Donald Trump. Veteran reporter Carl Bernstein even named some names a few days ago. Some people in the media and political classes would apparently prefer that the public see the Republican establishment as terrified of Donald Trump's base rather as than the cynics they are, eagerly taking advantage of Trump's chaos to advance their agenda.

Trump's post-election flights of lunacy provide an excellent case in point. While "mainstream" Republicans covertly whisper in Joe Biden's ear that they know he won the election, and assure him that they find Trump's twaddle about "rigged" votes and what have you terribly uncouth, they remain quiet in public, ostensibly because they want to let Trump have his tantrum and run out the clock, at which point we will pretend that all this unpleasantness never happened. This is, of course, nuts. President-elect Biden and every other Democrat who goes before the cameras to reassure Americans that the Republicans understand that Trump is off his rocker and that as soon as he's gone we'll all get back to normal are enabling them to continue the sabotage of our democracy. Democrats have no obligation to cover for Trump's accomplices and they need to stop doing it.

....(snip)....

Republicans are counting on Trump fading away quickly while they continue to take advantage of the system he has broken. It's a risky play. The conspiracy theories have become so byzantine and surreal that it won't be easy to appease the mob, not even with extreme measures like outlawing early voting or voting by mail. Trump's followers are being whipped into a frenzy, and it's starting to blow back on the GOP.

....(snip)....

Republicans are reportedly very nervous about Trump's planned super-spreader rally in Georgia on Saturday because he's likely to dwell on the "rigged election" instead of focusing on getting out the vote for Loeffler and Perdue. It will be a huge surprise if Trump doesn't just let his freak flag fly. It's his first rally since the election and he's hardly been seen on TV at all. He's dying for an audience. It's the air he breathes. ...........(more)

https://www.salon.com/2020/12/04/what-hath-the-republicans-wrought-will-trumps-insanity-finally-rip-the-party-apart/

December 4, 2020

AG Nessel slams Michigan Republicans over baseless election claims: 'Put up or shut up'

(Detroit Metro Times) Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel lashed out at Michigan Republicans on Thursday for continuing to give voice to conspiracy theorists who are undermining the state’s democratic system by spewing baseless allegations of election fraud.

“At long last, put up or shut up,” Nessel tweeted.

https://twitter.com/dananessel/status/1334520872980402180?s=20

Nessel’s string of scalding tweets comes a day after the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee held a hearing in which President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani was given the floor to level what she described as “baseless, debunked attacks on our elections.”

During the hearing, witnesses trashed Detroit with unfounded, delusional claims of election misdeeds. ..........(more)

https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2020/12/03/nessel-slams-michigan-republicans-over-baseless-election-claims-put-up-or-shut-up

December 3, 2020

So that we're clear, this is why Democrats aren't worried about Trump's election theft scheme

https://twitter.com/briantylercohen/status/1334329265253306368?s=20

December 3, 2020

Donald Trump is acting like a spoiled toddler -- America must give him a permanent timeout

Donald Trump is acting like a spoiled toddler — America must give him a permanent timeout
America's unhealthy fascination with our damaged president must end. He desperately seeks attention. Let's move on

By ALAN D. BLOTCKY - SETH D. NORRHOLM - ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI


(Salon) Jan. 20 cannot get here fast enough. Donald Trump is running wild with his disingenuous and false proclamations of a rigged election, rampant voter fraud and a stolen victory. Unbelievably, he is now claiming that the FBI and Department of Justice contributed to his fantastical claims of voter fraud. We have 50 days to go to survive this madman's deceitful and harmful rhetoric.

Let us be clear: Joe Biden won the election fair and square in what has arguably been the most scrutinized election in recent U.S. history. Trump has filed baseless and frivolous lawsuits and not a shred of evidence of massive voter fraud has been offered. In fact, his attorneys, with their bar licenses on the line, have repeatedly stated on the record, "This is not a fraud case." Yet Trump persists with his attention-seeking rants and raves.

Trump has lost. His psyche cannot handle the reality of the moment — that he has been repudiated by the American people. He is embarrassed, humiliated and scared, quite likely because he knows he is facing federal and state criminal charges once he leaves office. Trump is desperately trying to hold onto power to save his own hide. This is about his self-preservation. This is about him hiding out in the Oval Office so that he can avoid incarceration. To be sure, Trump's desperation is a confession-of-sorts of his wrongdoing.

Donald Trump is our outgoing president. He is old news. His voice is irrelevant. He has lost the bully pulpit. He should be packing his bags. He should be out of view. He should be saying goodbye and making plans for his life as a civilian. .............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2020/12/03/donald-trump-is-acting-like-a-spoiled-toddler--america-must-give-him-a-permanent-timeout/

December 3, 2020

DC: Metro's Proposed Cuts Are A 'Punch In The Gut' For Workers And The Local Economy

(DCist) Metro’s proposed sweeping budget cuts in the face of the ongoing pandemic will leave the rail and bus system operating vastly different than ever before. The proposal includes no weekend train service, closing the system at 9 p.m. with trains running only every 30 minutes on weekdays, and cuts to several bus routes. It turns a mass rapid transit system into essentially a commuter rail system.

The proposed cuts would be in effect from July 2021 until June 2022, leading to wide-ranging effects on everything from students getting to school on time to employees commuting to work.

It puts into question the region’s ability to recover from a deep economic slump caused by the pandemic — no matter when a vaccine might be available to help the area return to normal.

While some argue the jaw-dropping plan is akin to a nightmare scenario designed to drum up support for the transit agency, Metro officials say it’s the reality they have to plan for. Short of an influx in federal funding, Metro says there is no other place to turn for help keeping afloat. .................(more)

https://dcist.com/story/20/12/01/wmata-budget-cuts-impact-dc-region/

December 3, 2020

Mitch McConnell's dark pivot: Wreck the economy -- and sabotage Biden's presidency

(Salon) Donald Trump is still pretending he'll be able to successfully steal himself a second term as president, probably because it's such a lucrative lie. Mitch McConnell, however, appears to be moving on to his next mission: kneecapping Joe Biden.

The Senate majority leader is doing what everyone who actually learns from history predicted he would, and deliberately sabotaging the American economy, in a belief that voters will blame the incoming Democratic president for the disaster and not the Republican senators who are actually responsible.

On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of congressional leaders proposed a compromise coronavirus relief bill, worth about $900 billion. The bill is meant to rescue the economy from what is likely to be a disastrous winter, as lockdowns tighten and people stay home in the face of rising cases of COVID-19. It falls far short of the $3 trillion relief package that the Democratic-controlled House passed in May — a bill that was ignored by the Senate — but is substantially better than anything McConnell has proposed. It's also better than nothing, which is what McConnell's actions so far have amounted to.

Unsurprisingly, however, McConnell's reaction to this carefully drafted and dramatically announced bill was to blow a big, fat raspberry, refusing to even look at it. ...........(more)

https://www.salon.com/2020/12/02/mitch-mcconnells-campaign-to-sabotage-bidens-presidency-begins-in-earnest/