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Polybius

Polybius's Journal
Polybius's Journal
October 30, 2021

What are your Election Day predictions?

Here's mine:

NYC Mayor: Eric Adams (D) defeats Curtis Sliwa (R) by 27 points

NJ Governor: Phil Murphy (D) defeats Jack Ciattarelli (R) by 3 points

VA Governor: Glenn Youngkin (R) defeats Terry McAuliffe (D) by 2 points

What do you think? What are some of your predictions on these and other races (and ballot initiatives) that I didn't list?

October 30, 2021

Supreme Court to hear case on state efforts to revive a Trump immigration policy

Source: NBC News

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up an effort by Republican officials to revive a Trump administration effort that denied green cards to immigrants considered likely to become overly dependent on government benefits.

The Department of Homeland Security announced in 2019 that it would expand the definition of "public charge," to be applied to people whose request to become lawful permanent residents could be denied because of a concern they would primarily depend on the government for their income.

In the past, the designation was largely based on an assessment that an immigrant would be dependent upon cash benefits. But the Trump administration broadened the definition to include non-cash benefits such as Medicaid, supplemental nutrition and federal housing assistance.

Anyone who would be likely to require that broader range of help for more than 12 months in any three-year period was swept into the expanded definition.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-hear-case-state-efforts-revive-trump-immigration-policy-n1282754

October 30, 2021

Virginia malls and shopping centers increase security amid ISIS threat

Source: CBS News

Police in Northern Virginia are on a heightened state of alert as a new law enforcement alert warned of a potential threat against malls and shopping centers located just outside of Washington, D.C. The threat originated with ISIS and is the basis for the alert, sources told CBS News

"We have increased our police presence throughout the county to include major thoroughfares, transit hubs, shopping plazas and shopping malls," Fairfax County police chief Kevin Davis said Friday.

Police said the increased law enforcement presence will be in place through the Halloween weekend and ahead of Virginia's gubernatorial election. Law enforcement officials said they are acting out of an abundance of caution, and as they learn more about the threat, the increased law enforcement presence could be extended through Tuesday's election.

"It's just our responsibility to have a greater presence, to be more aware and to ask the community to have their eyes and ears peeled for suspicious activities," Davis said.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-threat-virginia-malls-shopping-centers-increased-security/

October 29, 2021

Mitt Romney dresses up as Ted Lasso, has 'biscuits with the boss' with Kyrsten Sinema

(CNN)Sen. Mitt Romney laced up his boots and put on his best Ted Lasso for Halloween, fake mustache and all.

"Warming up for Halloween weekend with the grandkids," the Utah Republican tweeted Thursday, sharing one of the fictional coach's many aphorisms. "As @TedLasso says, 'Your body is like day-old rice. If it ain't warmed up properly, something real bad could happen.'"

Completing the look was Romney-as-Ted paying a visit to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema for "biscuits with the boss" -- a highly recognizable moment from the Apple TV+ hit, and a not-so-subtle troll of Democrats, who have been forced to make significant concessions to secure the Arizona centrist's support for President Joe Biden's economic agenda.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/28/politics/mitt-romney-ted-lasso-kyrsten-sinema/index.html



I really wanted this in LBN, but it's 20 hours old.

October 26, 2021

Manchin: IRS reporting requirements likely 'going to be gone' from spending bill

Source: Politico

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) sharply criticized a proposal to force banks to report more account information to the IRS, making it much more likely that Democrats will have to drop a plan that could raise hundreds of billions of dollars for their social spending bill.

Manchin said in an interview with the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., that he had already told President Joe Biden that he was against that idea.

“Do you understand how messed up that is?” Manchin said he told the president. “This cannot happen. It’s screwed up.”

“I think that one’s going to be gone,” Manchin added.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/26/joe-manchin-irs-reporting-spending-bill-517194



I actually agree with Manchin on this. The old $600 number was way too low.
October 25, 2021

Why haven't there been any NYC Mayoral race polls?

I mean, I get it that Adams is the heavy favorite, but it would be nice to see at least one poll. There were polls 4 years ago.

October 23, 2021

Biden delays release of secret JFK assassination files

Source: Yahoo! News

President Joe Biden ordered yet another delay in the release of secret files related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy yet to see the light of day more than 50 years after his death.

A White House memo, signed by Biden, said "[t]emporary continued postponement is necessary to protect against identifiable harm to the military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or the conduct of foreign relations that is of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure."

The order comes in response to the archivist of the United States recommending the president “temporarily certify the continued withholding of all of the information certified in 2018” and “direct two public releases of the information that has” ultimately “been determined to be appropriate for release to the public,” with one interim release later this year and one more comprehensive release in late 2022, according to the memo.

Delays associated with the coronavirus pandemic were cited as the reason for the recommendation.

Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/biden-delays-release-secret-jfk-015700211.html



Getting delayed because of Covid? That's the excuse this year I guess.
October 22, 2021

Manchin says he offered to leave party if he was 'embarrassment' for Dems

Source: Komo News

WASHINGTON (SBG) — Asked about Sen. Joe Manchin forcing him to slim down his domestic agenda Thursday night, President Joe Biden chose his words about the West Virginia Democrat carefully.

“Joe's not a bad guy,” Biden said at a CNN town hall. “I mean, he's a friend. And he's always, at the end of the day, come around and voted for it.”

Manchin threw up several last-minute roadblocks ahead of the passage of Biden’s American Rescue Plan earlier this year, but he ultimately supported it. Resistance from Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., has already slashed his $3.5 trillion Build Back Better agenda in half, and neither senator has yet committed to backing a slimmed-down reconciliation package that needs both of their votes.

Other Democrats and progressive activists have been less diplomatic about Manchin. As he rejects major climate initiatives and insists on means-testing and work requirements for social safety net programs, kayaking protesters recently confronted him on his houseboat.

Read more: https://komonews.com/news/connect-to-congress/manchin-says-he-offered-to-leave-party-if-he-was-embarrassment-for-dems

October 16, 2021

Manchin fires back after Sanders pens op-ed in West Virginia paper

Source: Politico

Bernie Sanders has been calling on Joe Manchin to support President Joe Biden’s full agenda for weeks. On Friday night, Manchin signaled he’s had enough of that.

In response to an op-ed from Sanders (I-Vt.) published in Manchin’s hometown paper on Friday night, Manchin snapped back: “This isn’t the first time an out-of-stater has tried to tell West Virginians what is best for them despite having no relationship to our state.”

“Congress should proceed with caution on any additional spending and I will not vote for a reckless expansion of government programs. No op-ed from a self-declared Independent socialist is going to change that,” Manchin said in a statement on Friday evening shortly after the op-ed published. Sanders caucuses with Democrats but is still technically an independent.


Sanders has taken his campaign to pass Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending proposal to media venues across the spectrum, including Fox News. Manchin has occasionally responded, albeit not in the fashion he did on Friday night. Sanders’ move to land an op-ed in Manchin’s backyard seems to have crossed the line for the West Virginia senator.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/15/manchin-sanders-op-ed-paper-516115



Wow.
October 8, 2021

Sen. Schumer blasted Republicans after the debt-ceiling reprieve. He was criticized for it -- by Sen.

Source: Washington Post

Sen. Schumer blasted Republicans after the debt-ceiling reprieve. He was criticized for it — by Sen. Manchin.

Late Thursday, after the Senate passed a bill to raise the nation’s debt ceiling through early December, temporarily staving off a potential government shutdown and default, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) took to the Senate floor to praise the move — and to blast Republicans for what he described as a “risky drama.”

“Republicans played a dangerous and risky partisan game, and I am glad that their brinksmanship did not work,” Schumer added. “For the good of America’s families, for the good of our economy, Republicans must recognize in the future that they should approach fixing the debt limit in a bipartisan way.”

Schumer urged the Senate to adopt a long-term solution so that it would not have to go through the same situation every few months.

But Schumer’s speech also rubbed one fellow Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), the wrong way.



Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/07/sen-schumer-blasted-republicans-after-debt-ceiling-reprieve-he-was-criticized-it-by-sen-manchin/



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