U.S. Politics

[Rick Plant]

Hypocrite Rand Paul was begging President Biden for federal dollars after tragedy struck Kentucky. Rand Paul is a guy who voted against a bill for 9/11 first responders who needed help after they developed diseases when they were at ground zero. Paul cited the debt and said we couldn't afford to pay our heroes who nearly gave their own lives on 9/11. Paul voted for the debt because nearly 8 trillion dollars went into the pockets of corporations and billionaires in Criminal  Donalds tax cut giveaway. Rand Paul and the rest of these right wingers rail against federal assistance from the government. They call that "socialism" and call Democrats "socialists" for offering for those in need. Well, here's hypocrite Rand Paul with his hands out begging for the "socialism" that he rails against. Republicans are socialists as well as long as the money benefits them politically. Right wingers are total hypocrites and believe in Republican socialism.

Rand Paul begs Biden for federal aid to Kentucky tornado victims -- after a career of voting 'no' when others needed the same



Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky dashed off a letter to President Joe Biden today pleading for expeditious federal relief aid to victims of a deadly 200-mile tornado that struck his state Friday.

That was of course the right to do. But Paul is a strange one to have done it.

Throughout his two terms in the U.S. Senate, Paul has prided himself as a Tea Party fiscal conservative willing to say no to the most milquetoast causes if federal spending is involved. Opposing federal disaster relief is one of his pastimes.

In 2017, Paul was one of just 17 senators to oppose an emergency $15.3 billion federal relief bill for victims of Hurricane Harvey. It had wreaked havoc similar to Friday’s tornado, but not in Kentucky.

In 2013, Paul was one of 31 Republican senators who voted against a $50.5 billion relief aid package for Hurricane Sandy -- “after previously disaster aid for their home states,” as reported by ThinkProgress.org.

In 2011, Paul’s first year in the Senate, he was among 38 Republicans voting against a major FEMA funding package despite the fact -- not lost upon publicintegrity.org -- that his own state of Kentucky had been the nation’s largest recipient of FEMA funding ($293 million), mostly because of a 2009 ice storm.

A decade later, Paul wrote to Biden like the two were old liberal spendthrift friends.

“Last night and early this morning devastating storms swept across multiple states, including Kentucky. A single tornado from that system may have been on the ground for over 200 miles, and a large swath of the Commonwealth has been severely hit.

“As the sun comes up this morning we will begin to understand the true scope of the devastation, but we already know of loss of life and severe property damage.

“The governor of the Commonwealth has requested federal assistance this morning, and certainly further requests will be coming as the situation is assessed. I fully support those requests and ask that you move expeditiously to approve the appropriate resources for our state.”

Paul’s stinginess with federal aid to people outside of Kentucky has hardly been limited to aid responding to physical disasters.

In the very first coronavirus Senate aid package -- a mere $8 billion passed on March 5, 2020 -- Paul stood out as the lone Senator to vote no.

His complaint: Congress never cuts other spending as the direct offset he insists upon having for federal aid not earmarked for Kentucky:

“This isn't the first time we've had emergency money,” Paul complained after the first COVID-19 spending passed. “This is probably the tenth time we've done emergency money in the past two or three years. So everything is an emergency."

https://www.rawstory.com/rand-paul-2655999297/
       

[Rick Plant]

Glad to see a Governor finally taking action and turning the tables on these right wingers.

Newsom says he will use Texas abortion law tactics to restrict assault weapons
"If that's the precedent then we'll let Californian's sue those who put ghost guns and assault weapons on our streets," Newsom said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/newsom-says-he-will-use-texas-abortion-law-tactics-restrict-n1285794

[Rick Plant]

Dark money group with ties to Ohio Republican named in subpoena in bribery lawsuit



A former FirstEnergy executive, defending himself in a shareholders’ lawsuit stemming from his alleged role in the company’s statehouse bribery operation, has subpoenaed correspondence with two political operatives with close ties to U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel.

Attorneys for Mike Dowling, former senior vice president of external affairs for the utility company, subpoenaed records from two political nonprofits that played key roles in funneling FirstEnergy’s money into a political machine allegedly operated by the former Speaker of the Ohio House. That machine engineered legislative passage in 2019 of nuclear bailouts and other favorable provisions worth an estimated $1.3 billion to FirstEnergy.

Dowling is seeking communications from those groups — “Partners for Progress” and “Generation Now” — with a fellow nonprofit called “Liberty Ohio Inc.” Dowling also requested the two nonprofits’ correspondence with two Liberty Ohio board members: secretary Scott Guthrie and treasurer Thomas Datwyler.

Both men have close ties to the campaign of Mandel, who’s running in the GOP primary to replace U.S. Sen. Rob Portman in 2022. Campaign finance records list Datwyler as Mandel’s treasurer. Guthrie has worked on Mandel’s political campaigns for years, per his resume on LinkedIn, and has been quoted in media reports as Mandel’s campaign manager.

Liberty Ohio’s president, Michael Lord (who was not named in the subpoenas), served as chief of staff for Mandel when he was state treasurer.

Mandel’s campaign, Guthrie and Datwyler did not respond to written questions or phone calls.

The Mandel-affiliates are but a handful in a long list that includes “any current or former member of the Ohio Legislature” plus more than 30 Republican politicians and operatives from whom Dowling is seeking correspondence. The list includes Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, several defendants in the related criminal prosecution, and a spread of political entities and operatives. Also included is former state GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken, who is running against Mandel in the primary. Dowling’s subpoenas were issued only to Partners for Progress and Generation Now, not the named individuals themselves.

The issue at large traces back to the passage of House Bill 6, which provided massive, ratepayer-funded bailouts to nuclear plants owned at the time by a subsidiary of FirstEnergy and a separate bailout of coal plants owned by a cooperative of several Ohio utility companies.

FirstEnergy this summer admitted in court documents to giving about $60 million — using Partners for Progress as a pass-through — to Generation Now. The latter was allegedly controlled by then-House Speaker Larry Householder, R-Glenford. Householder, who has since been expelled from the House, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of racketeering and awaits trial.

FirstEnergy fired Dowling in October 2020, after two of the five men charged in the alleged conspiracy pleaded guilty. The company entered into a deferred prosecution settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in July, agreeing to pay a $230 million penalty and cooperate with prosecutors and in return avoiding a charge of wire fraud.

Liberty Ohio has other, indirect connections to the FirstEnergy scandal: it and Generation Now, which pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge, share donors from within the same web of nonprofits often described as “dark money,” given they aren’t legally required to disclose the source of their funding.

According to government prosecutors, Householder unlawfully controlled Generation Now, a purportedly independent entity, by using operatives to sign paperwork and attend meetings as his proxy. Neil Clark, a lobbyist who was charged alongside Houeholder, allegedly identified himself as the Speaker’s “appointed guy” in a meeting. Clark died by suicide earlier this year.

FirstEnergy gave Generation Now $60 million to pass the bailouts, the company admitted in court documents. It gave $25 million to Partners for Progress between 2017 and 2019, $15 million of which flowed to Generation Now. Separate tax records show that other donors contributed to the fund. Empowering Ohio’s Economy, which was solely funded by American Electric Power, gave $700,000 to Generation Now between 2017 and 2019. 55 Green Meadows, a nonprofit operated by Ohio’s nursing home industry, contributed $485,000 to Generation Now between 2018 and 2020 (the group’s $150,000 donation in 2020 has not previously been publicly reported).

These same donors gave hundreds of thousands to Liberty Ohio.

Empowering Ohio’s Economy gave $100,000 to Liberty Ohio between 2019 and 2020. Partners for Progress gave $150,000 to Liberty Ohio in 2019. 55 Green Meadows gave $515,000 to Liberty Ohio. (Partners for Progress and Liberty Ohio have not made their 2020 tax filings publicly available, clouding the public view of their donor history. Officials with the nonprofits did not respond to requests to provide them.)

John McCaffrey, an attorney for Dowling, declined to comment on why he included Liberty Ohio and its officers on the subpoena.

Some of those named in the subpoena have downplayed the importance. Dan Tierney, a spokesman for DeWine, said neither the governor nor the lieutenant governor have received any subpoenas or been asked to submit to questioning in any civil or criminal matters related to the passage of House Bill 6, which was signed into law by the governor hours after it was passed by lawmakers.

He said he didn’t know why DeWine was included in the subpoena but noted that it’s one name of hundreds (given the number of still living former legislators).

“We clearly have no involvement,” Tierney said.

Partners for Progress was incorporated by DeWine’s former top lobbyist. FirstEnergy also admitted to paying former PUCO chairman Sam Randazzo about $4.3 million for legislative and regulatory favors. DeWine appointed Randazzo, who has not been charged with a crime.

The Timken campaign did not respond to an email. However, she told the Columbus Dispatch through spokesman Rob Secaur (who's also named in the subpoena) that the two had "no involvement with HB6 and zero contact with Generation Now or Partners for Progress."

What does Liberty Ohio do?

Liberty Ohio, like many political 501(c)(4)s, has little to no public profile.

Its tax records list it under the Washington D.C. address of an office building. Tax records from other entities who have donated to Liberty Ohio list a Bexley address. Franklin County records show the residence is owned by the family of Lord, the organization’s president.

As of 2019, Liberty Ohio has more than $1 million in the bank. Its stated mission on tax forms: "To educate the public on policy issues."

No public-facing website for the group could be located.

In March 2020, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that a “Liberty Ohio Inc.” owned a website at the time calling Candice Keller, a state representative running for the state Senate, “crazy.” Other records from the Federal Communications Commission show Liberty Ohio purchasing ads criticizing Keller before she lost in her Senate Republican primary to current Sen. George Lang.

Liberty Ohio's 2020 tax records are not yet publicly available. Guthrie did not respond to a request for them left via voicemail.

Several donors to Liberty Ohio, including representatives of 55 Green Meadows, Partners for Progress and Empowering Ohio's Economy, did not respond to calls and voicemails.

https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2021/12/13/dark-money-group-with-ties-to-mandel-subpoenaed-in-firstenergy-bribery-lawsuit/

[Rick Plant]

Herschel Walker is another domestic abuser being pushed by Donald Trump as a failed candidate. Walker also suffers from mental issues with over a dozen alternate personalities. Nobody like that should be in the Senate.      ​

Republican Herschel Walker claims he's 'accountable' for domestic violence — then claims accusations are made up



Republican Herschel Walker, who is trying to run for the Senate in Georgia, has been accused by his first wife of domestic violence. But according to Walker, he can be both accountable and call it fake news at the same time.

An exclusive from Axios revealed Monday that Walker claimed he tells people "I'm accountable to it." He then followed the accountability with accusations that "people" make things up.

"I'm always accountable to whatever I've ever done. And that's what I tell people: I'm accountable to it," the statement began. "People can't just make up and add on and say other things that's not the truth. They want me to address things that they made up."

Walker's spokesperson then had to come back and say that what Walker meant to say was that he doesn't deny abusing ex-wife Cindy Grossman. Allegations by two other women, however, in 2002 and 2012, Walker appears to be saying are false.

Grossman described the abuse as threats and Walker choking her. She explained to CNN that Walker held a gun to her temple "and said he was going to blow my brains out." In Dec. of 2005, Grossman filed for a protective order with accounts also submitted by her sister, Maria Tsettos. She claimed that Walker threatened Grossman's life as well as hers and her boyfriend at the time.

Walker says that he considers Grossman a "best friend." Unlike Grossman, the other two women don't appear to have come back to be friends with him. One of the women told police that she saw someone "sneaking around outside her house." She said she thought she knew it was Walker because he had followed her home.

In response to the allegations, the Walker campaign spokesperson attacked the media for "false statements" and "stereotyping."

He also discussed his mental health issues and how he's worked on those throughout the years.

Read the full report at Axios.com:

https://www.axios.com/exclusive-herschel-walker-confronts-his-mental-health-domestic-violence-allegations-33b96336-77c1-4b3c-915d-896746c52694.htm

[Rick Plant]

Here's another corrupt right wing Republican and Trump worshipper Kristi Noem. Instead of protecting her constituents in South Dakota from Covid 19 she illegally abused her power to get her kid a real estate license she wasn't qualified for. She needs to be removed as Governor.

Official testifies Republican Kristi Noem used her position to help her daughter score real estate license



Republican Gov. Kristi Noem was named by a fired state official who testified that the South Dakota governor used her position to score a real estate license for her daughter. The employee, Sherry Bren, was then pushed out of her position as the executive director of the South Dakota Appraiser Certification Program, CNN.com reported.

It was previously reported that Noem stepped in to ensure her daughter, Kassidy Peters, got an extra chance to correct her work on the exam and application before it was submitted for approval. She was facing a denial of her certification and that's when the July 27, 2020, meeting occurred.

"Peters had experienced difficulty meeting the state's criteria to complete the process because of deficiencies in her work," CNN reported, citing documents they obtained. The documents also show that there was a stipulation that Peters participate in a mentoring plan so that she could complete her certification, which was given just 11 days later.

Bren testified that she was then forced to retire months later "at the behest of the Administration."

She also clarified that she wasn't the only one who witnessed the alleged nepotism, but she was the only one forced to retire. She filed an age discrimination complaint and asked for $200,000 in a settlement.

According to the testimony Tuesday, Peters was told before the meeting with the governor that she would be denied certification because the application was "insufficient." Noem then raged about the "serious deficiencies" in the application.

"Noem asked a series of specific questions about her daughter's application during the meeting with Bren and other state officials while her daughter was present," CNN said, citing Bren's testimony. There was then an agreement with the governor that Noem's daughter be granted a third chance to correct her application problems. Typically an applicant is only given two chances.

Peters has already surrendered her license due to the investigation.

Noem denies the allegations. In Oct., she tried to claim that having her daughter's application approved was really about helping everyone because she said that the process was stalled. That conflicts with the timeline, however, because Peters had already gotten her notification ahead of the meeting with her mother.

Noem is also under investigation by the state's attorney general.

Read the full report at CNN.com:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/14/politics/kristi-noem-south-dakota-daughter-real-estate-license/index.html

[Rick Plant]

Democrats have a plan to cap insulin at $35 a month

President Biden, citing the "outrageously expensive" cost of insulin and other prescription drugs in the U.S., called on Congress Monday to pass his Build Back Better bill, which contains provisions to lower drug prices.

In brief remarks at the White House, the president pointed to the cost of insulin needed to treat Type 1 diabetes, which Biden says affects some 1.5 million Americans, who pay anywhere from $375 to $1,000 per month for the drug. The House-passed measure would cap insulin prices at $35 per month.

"I think it's safe to say that all of us, all of us, whatever our age, wherever we live, we can agree that prescription drugs are outrageously expensive in this country," Biden said, adding, "Shame on us as a nation if we can't do better than this."

Biden's plan would also allow Medicare to negotiate certain drug prices with manufacturers, something now prohibited, and it would cap out-of-pocket costs for some prescription drugs for Medicare recipients at $2,000 a year.

Biden said he wants congressional approval of the roughly $2 trillion Build Back Better Act "as early as we can get it."

"I want to get it done, no matter how long it takes," he told reporters.

Before his remarks, Biden met with two women suffering from diabetes. The president said one of them, Sa'Ra Skipper, told him "that affording insulin has been the challenge of her and her family's entire life," and that "sometimes she and her sister rationed doses."

"Health care should be a right, not a privilege in this country," Biden said. "This is not a partisan issue."

The pharmaceutical industry, which opposes the Build Back Better Act, responded to Biden's remarks. In a statement, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said that a "damaging bill jammed through a partisan process will not provide patients struggling to afford their medicines meaningful relief."

Wall Street economists are confident Biden’s Build Back Better bill will become law – and boost infrastructure firms
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/07/wall-street-believes-biden-build-back-better-bill-will-become-law.html

[Rick Plant]

DEMOCRATIC REP. RASKIN INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO GET FOREIGN MONEY OUT OF U.S. ELECTIONS BY CLOSING THE CITIZENS UNITED LOOPHOLE

December 14, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, along with 19 of his colleagues in the United States House of Representatives, introduced the Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act. The legislation closes a campaign finance loophole that allows for-profit U.S. corporations appreciably owned by foreign investors to pour unlimited cash into American elections.

“Six days after the Supreme Court invented corporate free speech rights in Citizens United, President Obama warned that the Court had just opened ‘the floodgates’ for foreign interests to funnel cash freely into American elections through corporations,” said Rep. Raskin. “He was right.”

“The Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act will stop this dangerous stream of foreign cash and influence from flowing in our campaigns through corporate spending,” Raskin explained. “It’s imperative to fortify our electoral institutions against constant efforts by plutocrats and autocrats to shape political outcomes in America. I thank the Center for American Progress, Public Citizen, Free Speech For People and Common Cause for their support of this critical project.”

“The Center for American Progress strongly endorses Rep. Raskin’s legislation to close a dangerous loophole opened by Citizens United and prohibit political spending by foreign-influenced U.S. corporations,” said Will Roberts, Managing Director for Democracy Policy at the Center for American Progress. “For several years, CAP has advocated for this popular, common-sense policy and applauds the leadership of Rep. Raskin and the cosponsors of this bill. When enacted, this legislation will take a giant step toward assuring Americans that foreign entities are not influencing our elections, either directly or indirectly through under-the-radar routes like ownership in U.S. corporations. The future of our democracy must be decided by American voters, not foreign entities or multinational corporations that spend hundreds of millions of dollars each election cycle, diminishing the voices of everyday people.”

“One of the great pillars of our democratic system that enjoys consensus across all parties is that foreign nationals and foreign governments should not be making campaign contributions and expenditures in U.S. elections,” said Craig Holman, Government Affairs Lobbyist at Public Citizen. “But our safeguards against foreign intervention are littered with loopholes. One of the most gaping loopholes is allowing foreign-owned corporations to spend in American elections through their U.S. subsidiaries. Raskin’s “Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act” would close that loophole and ensure that any U.S. subsidiary that is significantly owned or controlled by foreign interests could not spend money to influence our elections.”

"We applaud Congressman Raskin for introducing this critical legislation in the defense of our democracy and the fundamental principles of American self-government,” said John Bonifaz, Co-Founder and President of Free Speech For People. “This legislation will ensure that corporations with significant foreign investment will no longer be able to spend their general treasury funds to influence our elections and to drown out the voices of voters across this country.  The people, not multinational corporations, shall govern.  We urge Members of Congress to stand with democracy and pass this bill.”

“Americans deserve to know who is trying to influence our voices and our votes, and foreign entities should have zero role in determining American elections,” said Karen Hobert Flynn, President of Common Cause. “The Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act would help ensure that hostile foreign actors cannot influence our elections, and we commend Congressman Raskin for introducing this common-sense legislation.”

Although current law prohibits individual foreign nationals from spending in U.S. elections, no such law bars political spending from American-registered corporations—including major multinationals—that are foreign-owned, foreign-controlled, foreign-influenced or all three. The Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act, supported by the Center for American Progress, Public Citizen, Free Speech For People and Common Cause, would prevent this foreign spending and ensure that the ultimate origin of money spent in American political campaigns is U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.

Rep. Raskin has introduced previous versions of the Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act during the 116th and 115th Congresses. This bill joins similar legislative efforts at the state and local level to separate foreign money from democratic elections. In January 2020, Seattle passed a similar policy into law, and in June 2021, the New York State Senate passed similar legislation with bipartisan support. Additional bills are pending in several other states, including Massachusetts and Hawaii.

Original cosponsors of the bill include: Reps. Ed Case (HI), Jim Cooper (TN), Danny K. Davis (IL), Mark DeSaulnier (CA), Theodore E. Deutch (FL), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA), Mondaire Jones (NY), Ted Lieu (CA), Jim McGovern (MA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Mark Pocan (WI), Mike Quigley (IL), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA), Jan Schakowsky (IL), Thomas R. Suozzi (NY), Dina Titus (NV), Rashida Tlaib (MI), David Trone (MD) and Nikema Williams (GA).

Text of the bill is available here:
https://raskin.house.gov/2021/12/rep-raskin-introduces-legislation-to-get-foreign-money-out-of-u-s-elections-by-closing-the-citizens-united-loophole