Politics - Page 6 of 15

UPDATE: Florida Commissioner of Education attacks Popular Information [Judd Legum, Popular Information]

February 1, 2023

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• Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. recently lashed out at Popular Information’s reporting on Florida classroom libraries, calling it “fake news from media activists too lazy to read [Florida] law.”
• Popular Information’s reporting was accurate and later confirmed by other outlets, including the Washington Post.
• Diaz told the National Review that teachers who packed up their classroom libraries were simply participating in a “stunt” intended to damage DeSantis politically.
• Diaz’s recommendations to teachers directly contradicts the training produced by his own agency, the Florida Department of Education.
• The Florida Department of Education will not answer basic questions about what kind of books are permitted in Florida schools.
• Right-wing activists hostile to Florida teachers are seizing on the opportunity to “get into the school Libraries” and determine whether teachers are “following the laws.”
• Chad Choate, the chair of the Manatee County School Board who was appointed by DeSantis, was the featured speaker at a meeting of the Manatee Patriots on Tuesday night.

Published February 1, 2023
Visit Popular Information to read Judd Legum’s original post UPDATE: Florida Commissioner of Education attacks Popular Information

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January 31, 2023 [Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American]

By Spencer Chen

In Heather Cox Richardson [Letters from an American]

February 1, 2023

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• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is having to grapple with the difference between the rhetoric that fires up the Republican base and the reality of governance.
• McCarthy won the votes to become speaker by promising the far-right members of the Republican conference a number of things, including that he would not agree to raising the debt ceiling without demanding cuts in federal spending.
• This argument mixed together two separate things: the debt ceiling, which must be lifted to enable the government to pay for money already appropriated, and the budget, which is a plan for spending money in the future.
• Republicans have backed off on demanding cuts to Social Security and Medicare after facing a backlash.
• President Joe Biden and the Democrats have said that they will not negotiate over the debt ceiling.
• On Wednesday, Biden and McCarthy will meet in person.
• National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and Office of Management Budget Director Shalanda Young sent a memo to the Republicans pointing out that protecting the security of the national debt has always been a bipartisan commitment.
• At a Democratic National Committee fundraiser today, Biden mourned the loss of the mainstream Republicans of the past and lamented McCarthy’s willingness to cater to extremists for power.

Published February 1, 2023
Visit Letters from an American to read Heather Cox Richardson’s original post January 31, 2023

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China’s Competitive Edge: Solar Exports [Peter Zeihan, Zeihan on Geopolitics]

By William McClain

In Peter Zeihan [Zeihan on Geopolitics], Politics

February 1, 2023

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• The Chinese government is considering putting export bans on certain types of solar panel manufacturing, specifically the ability to make the wafers and ingots that go into certain types of silicon panels.
• This potential ban could be a retaliation to recent actions taken by the United States.
• China has a history of dominating the manufacturing of technology, but not its innovation.
• The United States is mandating that a rising percentage of solar panels have to be manufactured in the United States, and the Chinese edge in the technology could be lost.
• The United States is unlikely to pursue industrial espionage, but South Korea, France, and Israel are the three countries most likely to do so.
• The Biden Administration is likely to either pursue technology transfer against the home country, or have South Korea steal the technology and negotiate with the United States.
• Solar panels are becoming more efficient and the political will to play hardball with China is present, so the Chinese leadership in the sector may be numbered.

Published February 1, 2023
Visit YouTube to watch Peter Zeihan’s original vlog China’s Competitive Edge: Solar Exports

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Kroger workers allege massive wage theft: “I’m tired of having to beg” [Tesnim Zekeria, Popular Information]

By Spencer Chen

In [Popular Information]

January 31, 2023

462 views

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• Rodney McMullen, CEO of Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the country, launched “MyTime” in 2022, claiming it would simplify day-to-day work.
• Since its roll-out, MyTime has caused a host of problems, including missing pay and incomplete checks, leaving many workers unable to pay rent or bills.
• Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Kroger from coast-to-coast, accusing the grocery giant of wage theft.
• Kroger claims to have resolved most issues, but UFCW President Marc Perrone says thousands across the country have still not received their most recent paycheck.
• Kroger workers are low-wage and vulnerable, with a 2022 study finding that 75% of surveyed workers across three regions were food insecure and 14% were homeless or had been homeless in the previous year.
• Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh has asked for resources to educate workers about their rights and hire more investigators to handle claims.

Published January 31, 2023
Visit Popular Information to read Tesnim Zekeria’s original post Kroger workers allege massive wage theft: “I’m tired of having to beg”

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January 30, 2023 [Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American]

By Spencer Chen

In Heather Cox Richardson [Letters from an American]

January 31, 2023

617 views

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• Joe Biden: 46th President of the United States, celebrated the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is investing $1.2 trillion in fixing highways, bridges, and internet access, and creating 20,000 jobs in Maryland.
• Called attention to the effects of the new border enforcement measures providing migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela a legal path to obtain a two-year visa.
• Republicans plan to hold hearings on what they call Biden’s border crisis, but the White House called out “some elected officials” for “trying to block the Administration’s effective measures because they would rather keep immigration an issue to campaign on than one to solve.”
• House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) promised to “hit the ground running” on crime, energy, inflation, life, taxpayer protection, and more, but Republicans have turned to investigations, abortion, threatening the national debt, and trying to defund the Internal Revenue Service instead.
• Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has applied for a six-month U.S. tourist visa, likely to avoid the many investigations underway in Brazil for fraud and inciting an attack on the government.

Published January 31, 2023
Visit Letters from an American to read Heather Cox Richardson’s original post January 30, 2023

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Semiconductors: China’s the Odd Man Out [Peter Zeihan, Zeihan on Geopolitics]

By William McClain

In Peter Zeihan [Zeihan on Geopolitics], Politics

January 31, 2023

621 views

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• The US, Dutch and Japanese have joined the American sanctions package against China for high end semiconductors, creating an international ecosystem of production.
• The nature of the semiconductor industry requires multiple steps of production that must all be done in the same place, making it difficult to replace missing countries.
• The Dutch need a strong ally to avoid getting dragged into continental affairs and the US is the best option for them.
• The Japanese are co–mingled with the US through trade deals and are the only country to have struck deals with both the Trump and Biden administrations.
• Korea is the only country left to join the sanctions, but they are in a difficult spot with their neighbors.
• The Chinese are now out of the game for mid to high end chips, leaving the globalized system of trade for these chips in its final years.

Published January 31, 2023
Visit YouTube to watch Peter Zeihan’s original vlog Semiconductors: China’s the Odd Man Out

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Inside the audacious new scheme to erase LGBTQ people from Michigan schools [Judd Legum, Popular Information]

By Spencer Chen

In [Popular Information]

January 30, 2023

518 views

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• Great Schools Initiative (GSI): A newly-formed conservative group launching a plan to remake Michigan public schools by exploiting a Michigan statute that allows parents to opt their children out of sex education.
• Led by co-founders Nathan Pawl, Matthew Nelson, and Monica Yatooma, GSI seeks to redefine “sex education” to include a teacher wearing a rainbow pin, teaching about the women’s suffrage movement, the availability of a gender-neutral bathroom, any book with LGBTQ characters, and any acknowledgment of LGBTQ pride week.
• GSI plans to overwhelm Michigan schools with litigation, funded by the far-right Thomas More Society. The group has access to the LET THEM BE Facebook group, which has over 55,000 members.
• GSI’s website features testimonials from fake Michigan parents, and it is unclear who is funding the group’s operations.

Published January 30, 2023
Visit Popular Information to read Judd Legum’s original post Inside the audacious new scheme to erase LGBTQ people from Michigan schools

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Is the AI Revolution Here? [Peter Zeihan, Zeihan on Geopolitics]

By William McClain

In Peter Zeihan [Zeihan on Geopolitics], Politics

January 30, 2023

13,193 views

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• AI is changing the way we work and live, but it is not necessarily creating or destroying jobs.
• The impact of AI will be felt in mid–level white collar jobs, not in low–skilled blue–collar jobs.
• Over the past five years, the greatest increase in take–home pay has been for low–skilled blue–collar workers, helping to narrow economic inequality.
• Retiring Baby Boomers are liquidating investments and going into low–risk investments, which does not fund startups or larger tech companies.
• There is also a global shortage of 20–30 year olds to do research and development of these technologies.
• We are still far from a breakthrough in General AI, which is necessary for machines to be able to think and act independently.
• Applied AI is more like machine programming, which is limited in its scope.
• Universal Basic Income is not the answer, as productivity has stalled and labor shortages mean more people are in work than ever before.
• AI is real and will change how we work and live, but the impact is likely to be different than expected.

You can watch the full Is the AI Revolution Here? on YouTube – Published January 30, 2023

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January 28, 2023 [Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American]

By Spencer Chen

In Heather Cox Richardson [Letters from an American]

January 29, 2023

572 views

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• Representatives Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Daniel Goldman (D-NY), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Colin Allred (D-TX), Mike Levin (D-CA), Josh Harder (D-CA), Raul Ruiz (D-CA), and Senator Rob Menendez (D-NJ) announced the formation of the Congressional Dads Caucus.
• The caucus was formed in response to the Republicans’ long fight over electing a House speaker, which highlighted the double standard that exists for working dads.
• The caucus is fighting for a national paid family and medical leave program, affordable and high-quality childcare, and the expanded Child Tax Credit.
• On Tuesday, January 24, the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor released its initial findings from the new National Database of Childcare Prices, which showed that childcare expenses are untenable for families throughout the country.
• The U.S. spends significantly less than other high-wage countries on early childcare and education, ranking 35th out of 37 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
• The formation of the Dads Caucus and the release of the childcare prices findings suggest a shift in the perception of childcare as a societal issue and a reworking of the role of the government.

Published January 29, 2023
Visit Letters from an American to read Heather Cox Richardson’s original post January 28, 2023

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January 26, 2023 [Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American]

By Spencer Chen

In Heather Cox Richardson [Letters from an American]

January 27, 2023

638 views

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• The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) asked six former presidents and their vice presidents to look for any presidential records, including documents marked classified, in their possession.
• The request illuminates the importance of disinformation in society, as Trump and his allies insist he is being treated unfairly.
• The truth is that it was the Trump administration that sought to weaponize the government against their perceived enemies.
• William Barr deliberately tried to use the Department of Justice to undermine the officials who had launched the Russia investigation properly and with good reason.
• Barr spun the information inaccurately to make the best possible case for Trump, convincing many Americans to think there was nothing between the Trump campaign and Russia.
• John Durham was appointed to investigate the investigators, but no matter how hard he tried, he did not turn up information indicating the investigators had conducted themselves improperly.
• Durham did find accusations from Italian officials that Trump himself might have engaged in financial crimes.
• The cozy relationship between Durham and Barr violated department policy for special counsels.
• Charles McGonigal, the special agent in charge of counterintelligence in the FBI’s New York Field Office, was arrested this week for working for a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin.
• Scholar of authoritarianism Timothy Snyder noted that authorities have not taken the threat of Russian influence in our politics seriously enough.
• Newly elected House Republican Cory Mills of Florida handed out defused grenades on the floor of the House, accompanied by a note suggesting he was sending them because McCarthy has put him on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees.

Published January 27, 2023
Visit Letters from an American to read Heather Cox Richardson’s original post January 26, 2023

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CategoryPolitics

UPDATE: Florida Commissioner of Education attacks Popular Information [Judd Legum, Popular Information]

January 31, 2023 [Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American]

China’s Competitive Edge: Solar Exports [Peter Zeihan, Zeihan on Geopolitics]

Kroger workers allege massive wage theft: “I’m tired of having to beg” [Tesnim Zekeria, Popular Information]

January 30, 2023 [Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American]

Semiconductors: China’s the Odd Man Out [Peter Zeihan, Zeihan on Geopolitics]

Inside the audacious new scheme to erase LGBTQ people from Michigan schools [Judd Legum, Popular Information]

Is the AI Revolution Here? [Peter Zeihan, Zeihan on Geopolitics]

January 26, 2023 [Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American]

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