I was totally blown away by this. The beauty of it, the sadness, the respect, the recognition.
h/t mrmoshpotato
Truth pic.twitter.com/0YB6WxO5yI
— Hadrian Temple (@HadrianTemple) June 18, 2023
For those who don’t want to click:
This post is in: Open Threads
I was totally blown away by this. The beauty of it, the sadness, the respect, the recognition.
h/t mrmoshpotato
Truth pic.twitter.com/0YB6WxO5yI
— Hadrian Temple (@HadrianTemple) June 18, 2023
For those who don’t want to click:
This post is in: Open Threads, Politics, Trump Indictments
So this fellow, whom I had never heard of before today, has signed a limited cooperation agreement with the DOJ.
He’s pleading guilty to being on the grounds of the capital when he shouldn’t have been, and he has agreed to give the DOJ access to ALL HIS SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS.
Why do we care?
They are closing in, or so it seems to me.
NEW: Owen Shroyer – right hand man to Alex Jones and member of the “Friends of Stone” messaging group – IS COOPERATING WITH DOJ. He was at the Willard 1/5. https://t.co/BfgtCymKbN
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) June 23, 2023
Tick, tock, smarmy motherfuckers!
Open thread.
Now We’re Getting Somewhere Good (I Hope!)Post + Comments (134)
This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Open Threads, Politics
Credit where credit is due. Uncle Joe plays the long game, and he does not for forget.
One more answer to the age-old question: “But what has he done for us lately?”
Remember when Biden headed off a railroad strike by backing a contract that not all railroad workers liked, and said he would not stop pushing for the paid sick leave they wanted? This statement is worth reading. 👇 https://t.co/gvGyiifh5Z
— Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) (@HC_Richardson) June 23, 2023
h/t Uncle Eb in the morning thread
(bolding mine because I know you guys will never read the whole block quote)
After months of negotiations, the IBEW’s Railroad members at four of the largest U.S. freight carriers finally have what they’ve long sought but that many working people take for granted: paid sick days.
This is a big deal, said Railroad Department Director Al Russo, because the paid-sick-days issue, which nearly caused a nationwide shutdown of freight rail just before Christmas, had consistently been rejected by the carriers. It was not part of last December’s congressionally implemented update of the national collective bargaining agreement between the freight lines and the IBEW and 11 other railroad-related unions.
“We’re thankful that the Biden administration played the long game on sick days and stuck with us for months after Congress imposed our updated national agreement,” Russo said. “Without making a big show of it, Joe Biden and members of his administration in the Transportation and Labor departments have been working continuously to get guaranteed paid sick days for all railroad workers.
“We know that many of our members weren’t happy with our original agreement,” Russo said, “but through it all, we had faith that our friends in the White House and Congress would keep up the pressure on our railroad employers to get us the sick day benefits we deserve. Until we negotiated these new individual agreements with these carriers, an IBEW member who called out sick was not compensated.”
While President Joe Biden was calling on Congress in November to pass legislation to implement the agreement, he stressed that he would continue to encourage the railroads to guarantee paid sick time for their employees.
“I share workers’ concern about the inability to take leave to recover from illness or care for a sick family member,” Biden said. “I have pressed legislation and proposals to advance the cause of paid leave in my two years in office and will continue to do so.”
That pressure, plus the IBEW’s ongoing efforts, is paying off at last. The IBEW and BNSF Railway reached an agreement April 20 to grant members four short-notice, paid sick days, with the ability to also convert up to three personal days to sick days. The union reached similar understandings with CSX and Union Pacific on March 22, and with Norfolk Southern on March 10. Unused sick time at the end of a year can be paid out or rolled into a worker’s 401(k) retirement account.
Open thread.
by WaterGirl| 91 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
My sister asked for some photos, and I thought I would share this one here, too.
“If you were good friends, what were you doing ruling on his case? And if you weren’t good friends, what were you doing accepting this?”
What a tangled web Alito weaves.https://t.co/26TdXs2SaO
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) June 22, 2023
Please nail every corrupt asshole on the Supreme Court.
Flowers, two Henrys, and a killer tweet from Sheldon Whitehouse. Oh, and Henry would like to tell you about his new fun game, knocking the pillows off the bench. Clearly the kitties have been training him whenever I leave the house.
That’s all I’ve got!
Open thread.
Lazy <s>Friday</s> Thursday Afternoon Open ThreadPost + Comments (91)
by WaterGirl| 72 Comments
This post is in: Balloon Juice, Open Threads, Zooms
With all the legal ins and outs related to the upcoming trial related to Trump’s Criminal and Pathological Need to Hold on to Classified Documents, I asked Immanetize if he would be up for doing a zoom about legal stuff with us.
And he graciously said yes!
Other legal BJ peeps also most welcome to participate!
So if you’re up for joining the zoom – either with video or just audio – please chime in below and send me an email so I can reply with the zoom link.
I think this is gonna be great! Who’s interested?
Open thread.
Open Thread & Announcing Friday Evening Zoom with Immanetize (7 pm ET)Post + Comments (72)
by WaterGirl| 36 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Corruption
Sheldon Whitehouse has been leading this charge for quite some time, and he hasn’t quit.
Now Pro Publica is bringing the receipts.
And it sounds like even Dick Durbin is willing to start playing hardball.
Maybe this is the one-two punch that is needed in order to move off the mark?
That’s why when the Senate returns after the July 4th recess, the Senate Judiciary Committee will mark up Supreme Court ethics legislation.
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) June 21, 2023
I hope that before that time, Chief Justice Roberts will take the lead and bring Supreme Court ethics in line with all other federal judges.
But if the Court won’t act, then Congress must.
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) June 21, 2023
Justice Alito’s response to this latest reporting shows exactly why this Supreme Court urgently needs an ethics overhaul to hold the justices accountable for the many instances of ethical wrongdoings that continue to come to light.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) June 21, 2023
I’m pleased that @JudiciaryDems Chairman @SenatorDurbin has announced plans to take up Supreme Court ethics legislation in the Judiciary Committee so we can clean up this mess and bring the Court into alignment with the rest of the federal courts and other branches of government.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) June 21, 2023
If the Supreme Court isn’t going to do anything to restore the public’s trust, then it’s up to us in Congress to ensure that our nation’s highest Court does not have the lowest ethical standards.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) June 21, 2023
Also a hero – Pro Publica for doing these investigations.
As Betty Cracker mentioned earlier, they take donations here if you’re interested.
Open thread.
Sheldon Whitehouse, A Hero for Our TimesPost + Comments (36)
This post is in: Open Threads
It’s another way-too-freaking-hot afternoon here in Champaign. I’m on the porch and the thermostat says 95.
Anyway, that seems like a good day to stay inside and get caught up on some reading. Like these guys are!
h/t Subaru Dianne for the image
Henry and I spent a couple of hours at the Vet School this afternoon for his last visit with the dermatologist who is moving to Michigan. Best vet I have ever had, and she adores Henry. She said she took some photos when she had Henry upstairs for his exam. Henry adores her and the feeling is mutual. I got to meet the 3rd year resident who will be looking after Henry now the Dr. Brame is leaving.
Open thread.