November 4, 2023

How do I turn off notifications dismiss/allow?

October 26, 2023

New York Republicans move to force a vote on Santos expulsion

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4278512-new-york-republicans-move-to-force-a-vote-on-santos-expulsion/

New York Republicans move to force a vote on Santos expulsion
BY MYCHAEL SCHNELL - 10/26/23 6:40 PM ET

A group of New York Republicans moved to force a vote on expelling Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) Thursday, the second effort this year to eject the first-term lawmaker from Congress amid mounting federal charges.

Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) called the measure to the floor as a privileged resolution Thursday afternoon, which forces leadership to act on the legislation within two legislative days. The House left Washington Thursday afternoon and is not scheduled to return until Wednesday.

Leadership can motion to table the resolution or refer it to a committee, both of which would require majority support. But if the legislation comes to the floor for a vote, it will need backing from two-thirds of the chamber.

The path forward on the expulsion resolution will be one of the first big decisions made by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who won the gavel Wednesday following former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) ouster from the top position. Johnson will have to make a decision on the Santos expulsion in his first week on the job.
(snip)

October 26, 2023

Colorado judge rejects latest Trump attempt to throw out lawsuit over 14th Amendment

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4276747-colorado-judge-rejects-trump-14th-amendment-lawsuit/

Colorado judge rejects latest Trump attempt to throw out lawsuit over 14th Amendment

A Colorado judge rejected the latest attempt by former President Trump to throw out a lawsuit seeking to keep him off the ballot in 2024 by invoking the 14th Amendment.

In her 24-page ruling, Colorado District Judge Sarah Wallace rejected Trump’s argument that matters of ballot eligibility are limited to Congress, not the courts. Wallace also opposed Trump’s argument that state election officials cannot invoke Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

“The Court holds that states can, and have, applied Section 3 pursuant to state statues without federal enforcement legislation,” Wallace wrote.

Wallace’s ruling comes just days before the trial is slated to start Oct. 30.
(snip)

October 24, 2023

((Hern out))

From The Hill:

Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) has dropped out of the race, according to a source familiar.

He will instead throw his support to caucus Vice Chair Mike Johnson (R-La.).

That leaves five candidates in the race.

(update) The GOP conference will vote on a Speaker nominee at 8 p.m., Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) confirmed.

October 24, 2023

The Hill on the latest Speaker candidates

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4271795-house-republicans-speaker-nominee-live-coverage/

(snip)

The candidates to be the GOP’s fourth Speaker nominee are:

Byron Donalds (Fla.)
Chuck Fleischmann (Tenn.)
Mark Green (Tenn.)
Kevin Hern (Okla.)
Mike Johnson (La.)
Roger Williams (Texas)
Donalds, Hern and Johnson ran for the nomination last time, while Fleischmann, Green and Williams are making their first run at the gavel.

The Republican conference will hold a candidate forum at 6 p.m.
(snip)

October 24, 2023

I think Pete Sessions tried to take out his frustrations on the IRS commissioner

I caught the tail end of C-SPAN's radio coverage of a hearing on the IRS.

Sessions asked if the IRS had found its audits disproportionately burdened people of color? The commissioner replied that it was an outside study that suggested that, and that IRS had modified its audit plans in response.

((IMO: I suspect that there had been a focus on the Earned Income Tax Credit, and additional issues such as whether or not two parents were both claiming head of household. Back when I was working in volunteer income tax clinics, there was always a big rush early on as people (mostly minorities) wanted their EITC money as soon as possible. Sometimes they brought kids in tow, some even to interpret. But some kept forgetting that everyone had to have a SSN (or ITIN) card/letter presented so the clinic could process them...))

October 23, 2023

I'm cynical about this whole Speakership thing

I think that some Repugs are hoping that if there is no Speaker by the time government shutdown is due, it will occur.

October 23, 2023

Biggest cervical cancer drug advance in 20 years hailed

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-67192441

Scientists say they may have made the biggest breakthrough in treating cervical cancer in 20 years, using a course of existing, cheap drugs ahead of usual radiotherapy treatment.

Trial findings, revealed at the ESMO medical conference, show the approach cut the risk of women dying from the disease or the cancer returning by 35%.
(snip)

Cervical cancer affects thousands of women each year in the UK, many in their early 30s. Despite improvements in radiotherapy care, cancer returns in up to a third of cases, meaning new approaches are very much needed.
(snip)

Dr Mary McCormack, lead investigator of the trial from UCL Cancer Institute and UCLH, said: "Our trial shows that this short course of additional chemotherapy delivered immediately before the standard CRT can reduce the risk of the cancer returning or death by 35%.
(snip)

October 20, 2023

((for now)) Appeals court upholds broad use of obstruction law that prosecutors have deployed against Trump

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/20/appeals-court-obstruction-ruling-trump-00122742

Appeals court upholds broad use of obstruction law that prosecutors have deployed against Trump
(snip)

By KYLE CHENEY and JOSH GERSTEIN
10/20/2023 12:37 PM EDT

Federal prosecutors on Friday narrowly avoided an appeals court ruling that could have upended their criminal prosecution of Donald Trump, but the legal battle will continue over a federal obstruction statute that has become a cornerstone of cases stemming from the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

A divided panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a long-awaited opinion, ruled that there are numerous ways for the government to prove that Jan. 6 defendants acted “corruptly” when seeking to obstruct Congress’ proceedings. The decision is a bullet dodged for special counsel Jack Smith, because a D.C. Circuit ruling that narrowly construed the meaning of “corruptly” could have derailed Smith’s prosecution of Trump on an obstruction charge.

The judges ruled, 2-1, that efforts by some Jan. 6 defendants to sharply limit the conduct covered by the federal obstruction law were misguided. The ruling, which upheld a jury conviction for former Virginia police officer Thomas Robertson, concluded that efforts to install the losing presidential candidate could be enough to support an obstruction conviction.

The opinion is likely to be appealed to the full bench of the D.C. Circuit or to the Supreme Court. But it nevertheless is an important milestone with repercussions for hundreds of Jan. 6 prosecutions, including Trump’s. The judges have labored for months to navigate the complexities of the federal “obstruction of an official proceeding” statute, a felony with a 20-year maximum sentence that was passed in the wake of the Enron scandal.
(snip)

October 20, 2023

How do I self-delete?

I accidentally double-posted and can't find how to self-delete.