U.S. Politics

[Rick Plant]

Herschel Walker Has a Secret Son He Doesn’t See
The Trump-endorsed Georgia Senate candidate who said a “fatherless home is a major, major problem” is an absentee dad himself
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/herschel-walker-secret-son-report-1368573/

[Rick Plant]

President Biden @POTUS

My approach has brought down COVID deaths by 90%.
 
It’s opened schools and businesses that were shuttered.

And it’s created the greatest jobs recovery in American history. 8.7 million new jobs in just 16 months – an all-time record.

Last week, I spoke with retailers about how ocean shipping price hikes are forcing them to raise costs.

Tonight, Congress passed a bipartisan bill to crack down on this behavior. It'll help lower costs for American families. I look forward to signing it.

https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1536498144745234434

[Rick Plant]

Exclusive: Senator Tim Kaine says a key piece of new gun bill would dramatically reduce shootings

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) compared the new gun safety legislation to seat-belt laws, saying that both laws aren't likely to stop all fatalities but they'll help.

Speaking to Raw Story on Wednesday afternoon, Kaine noted that the "straw man purchase" was back in the bill after it had been previously taken out.

The legislation would crack down on illegal purchases of guns through other individuals to circumvent background checks and enact new rules for purchasers under 18. Last week, a man was arrested in Dallas for the illegal trafficking of almost 100 guns, some of which were used in north Texas shootings. There are laws already in place to help reduce weapons trafficking, but the Senate bill aims to raise the penalties for such tactics.

"It would dramatically reduce [the problem]," said Kaine. "There is nothing that we're going to do that will end it, but it's like a seatbelt does in every traffic fatality it makes rider safe. And, look, that's one of the more underreported pieces of the compromise. More intense background analysis of 18-21 year-olds including juvenile records."

He went on to cite the mental health piece of the bill, saying it was "fantastic," particularly after the COVID-19 crisis. Kaine proposed a bill that was passed in Feb. 2022 that helped fund mental health resources for healthcare workers who have been overworked and emotionally devastated after facing so much death with the pandemic.

As Kaine explained, the gunman responsible for the Virginia Tech shooting was previously diagnosed with selective mutism and severe depression. The laws on the books currently mandate that a person be officially institutionalized before they can be prevented from purchasing a gun. It makes the mental health restrictions considerably higher. Virginia changed their laws after the shooting, eliminating the loopholes that would allow those adjudicated as mentally unsound to purchase guns.

The mental health piece of the bill will be a big test for Republicans, who have said for decades that mass shootings are all related to mental health issues.

https://www.rawstory.com/tim-kaine-gun-legislation/

[Rick Plant]

President Biden @POTUS

Wall Street didn’t build this country.
 
The middle class built this country.
 
And unions built the middle class.

Our economic plans have created the greatest jobs recovery in American history.

Watch: https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1537207782042214400

[Rick Plant]

Democrats John Fetterman, Josh Shapiro lead Republicans Mehmet Oz, Doug Mastriano in first big Pa. general election poll

The first reputable general election poll of Pennsylvania’s two key statewide races — released by USA Today Network and Suffolk University on Wednesday — shows Democrats leading in both, but in a better position to flip the U.S. Senate seat than hold the governor’s mansion.

In the Senate contest, Democratic candidate John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s sitting lieutenant governor, is up by 9 points over Republican Mehmet Oz, the celebrity cardiothoracic surgeon, 46% to 37%, with 13% of respondents undecided.

And in the race for governor, Democrat Josh Shapiro, the state attorney general, leads Republican Doug Mastriano, a state senator, by a slimmer margin — just 4 points, 44% to 40% — with 13% of respondents again declaring themselves undecided.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2022/06/15/pa-us-senate-governor-race-2022-polling-candidates-john-fetterman-dr-mehmet-oz-josh-shapiro-doug-mastriano/stories/202206150083

[Rick Plant]

Another Republican that fled his state under declared emergency. Ted Cruz fled to the warmth of Cancun when Texans were freezing to death without any power in the dead of Winter and now Greg Gianforte is staying in luxury in Tuscany while Montanas are being flooded out. And yet people in both states keep voting Republican like saps. These so called "elected officials" don't care about their constituents. All they care about is themselves. When it came time to help their residents and offer support both Ted and Greg left for better weather so they didn't have to deal with it.

Greg Gianforte was vacationing in Tuscany during Montana’s historic floods



Montana's flooding disaster continued for the fourth day on Thursday as the state's Republican governor returned from a Tuscany vacation.

"Devastating floodwaters that wiped out miles of roads and hundreds of bridges in Yellowstone National Park and swamped scores of homes in surrounding communities moved downstream Wednesday and threatened to cut off fresh drinking water to residents of Montana’s largest city," the AP reported. "Billings had a just a 24- to 36-hour supply of water and officials asked its 110,000 residents to conserve while expressing optimism that the river would drop quickly enough for the plant to resume operations before the supply ran out. The city also stopped watering parks and boulevards, and its fire department was filling its trucks with water from the Yellowstone River."

Gianforte's office announced on Tuesday, the second day of the flooding, that he would return to Montana in a "few days."

On Wednesday, his office said that his vacation during flood season was a "long-scheduled personal trip."

Former NBC Montana reporter and Newsy correspondent Maritsa Georgiou reported she "obtained a time-stamped photo that shows he's been in the Tuscany region of Italy."

Gianforte, who was one of the richest members of Congress before being elected governor, flies in his own 10-passenger private plane.

Gianforte's Pilatus Aircraft PC-12/47E has a max range of 1,800 nautical miles and a max cruise speed of 334 miles per hour, according to the company's website.

https://www.rawstory.com/greg-gianforte-2657521213/

[Rick Plant]

A Democratic written bill to help our Vets was finally passed and not blocked by Republicans.

Senate passes historic vote ensuring health care relief for military veterans exposed to burn pits



WASHINGTON — Help is on the way for hundreds of thousands of veterans suffering from 9/11-like toxic exposure illnesses after the U.S. Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed the most significant expansion of the Veterans Administration in modern times.

According to the VA, some 3.5 million American veterans were exposed to air from poisonous burn pits in deployments overseas since the nation went to war in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Growing numbers have gotten sick or died from that exposure, having breathed in smoke all-too-similar to the toxic clouds surrounding the devastated World Trade Center. The smoke came from massive pits that the military used to burn plastics, medical waste, ammunition and anything else, even setting it aflame with jet fuel, much like the accelerant that burned the twin towers.

But around three-quarters of ill service members and veterans who submitted claims were denied by the VA because toxic exposures were not covered.

The bill, named the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act after a soldier who died from his exposure, would guarantee health benefits without red tape to any veteran suffering from various illnesses, including certain cancers and breathing disorders.

The bill also improves care for some Vietnam veterans and people who served at nuclear sites. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the total cost, including existing funding that is shifted by the legislation, will cost some $280 billion over 10 years.

The centerpiece of the measure focuses on the burn pits, written by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., modeled on 9/11 legislation.

She said passing the bill was a matter of living up to its title — honoring the pact the nation makes to care for the people who fight its wars.

“Our service members and their families give everything for our country. And as a nation we promise to care for them when they come home,” Gillibrand said. “At last, we are honoring that promise and paying the price we owe them for our freedoms, our values, and our safety.”

The bill will need to be approved by the House, but it is expected to be non-controversial and will likely reach President Joe Biden’s desk by Independence Day.

The Senate’s changes to the bill, negotiated by Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran, slowed the implementation but won strong Republican backing.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., described the bill as “the greatest advance in veterans’ health care in decades.” He said scores of America’s veterans went off to serve their country in perfect health only to come back and get sick from toxic exposure, and, when they applied for disability benefits, oftentimes found out they didn’t qualify.

“It’s a confounding indignity for our nation’s heroes to sacrifice everything for our country only to come home, get sick and discover the VA is not there for them,” Schumer said.

Republicans had been concerned the VA would not be able to deal with the surge in ill veterans, leading to chaos and disappointment. But Moran said the changes addressed those concerns, and Congress owes it to veterans to care for them, regardless of the price tag.

“There’s no doubt that the cost of taking care of our veterans is high, but the truth is, freedom is not free. We say that, but this is evidence that we believe that,” said Moran on the Senate floor.

“There’s always a cost of war. It’s always high. It’s always dramatic. It’s always something that costs people their lives,” Moran said. “The cost of war is not fully paid when the war is over. We are now on the verge of honoring that commitment to Americans, veterans and their families.”

© New York Daily News