Daily Dose of Democracy:
Trump and lawyer sanctioned almost $1 million for "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton
In just an amazing twist, a federal judge on Thursday imposed nearly $1 million in sanctions on the disgraced ex-president and his lawyer for filing a “frivolous” lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and others that claimed they tried to rig the 2016 presidential election in Clinton’s favor. It would be nice if some of Trump's numerous other lies and crimes came with some consequences, preferably of the jail kind, but hey! Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, Donny!
Take Action: Kick Trump off of Twitter again!
VIDEO OF THE DAY: Trump accidentally screws himself with his own post
The disgraced ex-president gave prosecutors an incriminating gift on his own social network. Very stable genius!
Take Action: Investigate Republicans who could be constitutionally disqualified from holding office!
Republicans caught pulling disgusting scheme
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Vile.
US hits debt ceiling as partisan standoff sparks economic worries
The first unnecessary and deeply embarrassing crisis of 2023 has arrived, as radical House Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling until they extract devastating cuts to social programs. The Biden White House has correctly announced that they will not be negotiating with these legislative terrorists, pointing out that the GOP had no problem raising the debt ceiling three times under Donald Trump, despite his tax cuts for the ultrawealthy blowing a $3 trillion hole in the deficit. The GOP has until this summer to get their act together and do the right thing for the nation; only time will tell how far these radicals are willing to go.
Take Action: Stop the GOP's plan to keep the rich from paying their fair share!
Trump calls for jailing of Politico reporters to identify Supreme Court source for Roe v. Wade leak
On Thursday, the Supreme Court announced that, unsurprisingly, they had failed to identify the source who leaked the draft opinion for the decision to reverse Roe v. Wade and strip reproductive rights away from tens of millions of Americans. The leak almost certainly came from a Republican justice's camp in order to soften the blow and dissipate public energy ahead of the actual ruling. Trump either doesn't understand this tactical decision or just sees an opportunity for the spotlight, calling for the journalist who broke the leak to the public to be arrested along with their publisher and editor. It won't be happening.
Take Action: Tell Congress to cut military spending and fund social programs!
Striking French workers lead 1 million people in protest over plans to raise retirement age
French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 in a time of rising living costs prompted a nation-wide outbreak of strikes and protests, bringing transportation services to a standstill in many regions as everyone from teachers to trade workers to oil refinery workers to air traffic controllers all walked off the job at the urging of their unions. It's truly inspiring to see what people can accomplish with a strong strike tradition and strong unions to back them up! Maybe we should try it here sometime?
Watchdog alleges high-level Pentagon official used racial slurs, drank on the job, and sexually harassed employees
A Biden administration pledge to root out sexual harassment in the government came up with a very big fish in the form of ex-General Douglas Glenn, who currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Office of Personnel Management. The probe discovered that Glenn regularly made sexist and racist comments in the workplace — including casual use of the n-word — and provided subordinates with alcohol on at least two occasions, in violation of department policy. Such behavior is absolutely unacceptable in any workplace, let alone the Pentagon, and it is gratifying to see that under a Democratic administration this kind of thing won't fly.
Corporate America's worst nightmare is now running for Senate!
Katie Porter for Senate: Rep. Katie Porter and her whiteboard have been working overtime defending the American people and holding big companies accountable for their greedy excesses — and now she's ready to take her talents to the United States Senate! Can you chip in to send a progressive champion to where she can do the most good?
North Carolina AG Josh Stein launches bid for governor
Democrat Josh Stein is the first to throw his hat in the ring to succeed the term-limited Roy Cooper in what is sure to be a fiercely contested battle for the governorship in North Carolina. Right off the bat, Stein took aim at Trump and denounced those “politicians [who] spark division, ignite hate, and fan the flames of bigotry" in his announcement video.
Big brands’ rainforest offsets are often worthless, analysis finds
It turns out that a key piece of the "market solution" to the climate crisis is in fact little more than greenwashing. An analysis has discovered that the $2 billion Vera "carbon offset" market used by big corporations like Disney, Gucci, and Shell so they can claim their products are "carbon free" and assuage the consciences of consumers actually rely on "phantom credits" which don't actually represent genuine carbon reductions. Over 90% of the credits sold are believed to be "phantom credits," meaning that capitalism has once again failed to make any dent in the climate crisis it has created but instead just cooked up a new way for corporations to dodge taxes through their "business expense" tax deductions.
Trump mistook photo of E. Jean Carroll for ex-wife during deposition in rape allegation lawsuit
The serial sexual predator made a crucial mistake in court by mistaking a photograph of his accuser, E. Jean Carroll, with a photograph of his ex-wife Marla Maples, putting a rest to his abhorrent excuse that the victim "wasn't his type." Why anyone would accept the "not my type" disclaimer at face value is beyond understanding, but hopefully this lawsuit, which goes to trial in April, will deliver some justice for at least one of Trump's many victims.
Low union numbers amid organizing wave spark calls for US labor law fixes
While the US had a banner year for union organizing in 2022, overall union membership declined to an all-time low of just 10.1% as millions of new jobs created were not union. The numbers renewed calls for Congress to pass the PRO Act and reform America's business-friendly, worker-hostile labor laws that have put so many workers under the exploitative boot of their corporate overlords.
Home on the range
DEEP DIVE: Crisis and cruelty in Israel
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