First, the important one, the On the Media series, "We Don't Talk About Leonard… the background of the man who has played a critical role in the conservative takeover of America's courts — Leonard Leo." Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. If I told you that throughout the episodes there wasn't the sound of an RPG launch playing over and over in the deep recesses of my brain, well, I'd be lying. The right screams about George Soros, and again, every acusation is a confession.
"As the latest Israel-Hamas war reaches its sixth day, the Israeli military pulverized the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, prepared for a possible ground invasion and said Thursday its complete siege would remain in place until the Hamas militants that rule the territory freed some 150 hostages taken during a grisly weekend incursion." The terrorist strikes to provoke an overwhelming response where the target government violates their own laws and norms.
"Four dozen Antarctic ice shelves have shrunk by at least 30% since 1997 and 28 of those have lost more than half of their ice in that time, reports a new study that surveyed these crucial “gatekeepers’’ between the frozen continent’s massive glaciers and open ocean." Place gif of Jack Nicholson as the Joker shouting, "We're gonna take them out a whole new door!"
"Workers are beginning the process of removing the famous Sycamore Gap tree trunk and crown from Hadrian's Wall, which was felled in late September in a shocking act of vandalism in northern England. The tree's stump will remain."
"High school students’ scores on the ACT college admissions test have dropped to their lowest in more than three decades, showing a lack of student preparedness for college-level coursework, according to the nonprofit organization that administers the test." Time to fire up the headlines of, "Why Johnny Can't Read." Let the handwringing begin.
"The American College of Emergency Physicians in a statement called the paper outdated and said the term excited delirium should not be used by members who testify in civil or criminal cases. The group’s directors voted on the matter Thursday in Philadelphia." It was always bullshit.
"Caroline Ellison had testified over the two previous days that Bankman-Fried directed her at several times over the years to pull money from FTX customer accounts to fund investments and trading strategies at Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency hedge fund, Alameda Research. Ellison was the CEO of Alameda when it and FTX collapsed in November of last year."
"Businesses and climate activists have been pushing to shape the SEC rules for months, because the stakes are high. The economy is awash in climate disclosures that companies tout, but there are few ways for customers and investors to gauge the validity of the claims. The SEC's goal is to ensure that publicly-traded corporations are reporting comparable information, and also to make sure they aren't misleading investors about their environmental activities — a practice known as greenwashing, Gary Gensler, chair of the SEC, told the House Financial Services Committee in September."
"Many consumers are no strangers to added and surprise fees, from buying airline tickets to renting a car or ordering takeout...These pesky charges are the target of new actions announced Wednesday by the Biden administration, which hopes to stamp out so-called 'junk fees' and make it easier for buyers to know what they're paying and why." Hell to the fuckin' yeah. Just two examples: we had a basic landline up until this year, it was $15 for the line, but with all the fees it was over $50 a month. Two, just bought tickets to a speaking event, the processing fee was a third of the ticket price (added on top) which wasn't disclosed until checkout.
"The FBI’s highly unusual search for buried Civil War-era treasure more than five years ago set in motion a dispute over what, if anything, the agency unearthed and an ongoing legal battle over key records. There’s so much intrigue that even a federal judge felt compelled to note in a ruling last week: 'The FBI may have found the gold — or maybe not.'"
"Nominated to be House speaker, Rep. Steve Scalise on Thursday ran straight into a familiar, intensifying Republican problem: Skeptical GOP colleagues are refusing to give their support, denying him the majority vote needed to win the gavel." The party of "anti-government" can govern you say? Weird. UPDATE: Scalise is out.
"Republicans have tapped Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to be their latest nominee for House speaker, one day after the conference's initial nominee, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, failed to consolidate party support." I'm sorry, GOP, you've already had a child abuser as speaker. Try and mix it up a little.
"U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey was accused Thursday of conspiring to act as an agent of the Egyptian government in a new indictment that places the Democrat who had a key role in shaping U.S. policy in deeper legal trouble as he continues to ignore calls to resign." Time to go, Bob.
"Donald Trump obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in loans using financial statements that a court has since deemed fraudulent, a retired bank official testified Wednesday at the former president’s New York civil fraud trial."
"Donald Trump will be back in court next week for his New York civil fraud trial, a person familiar with the former president’s plans told The Associated Press on Thursday, setting up a potential face-to-face showdown with fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen, who is expected to testify."
And in case I didn't post it before, the On the Media Podcast short on "Why You Should Pay Attention to Trump's Civil Fraud Case."
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