9 votes

Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of May 3

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Tags: usa, politics, recurring.weekly

This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.

This is an inherently political thread; please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

9 comments

  1. [3]
    moocow1452
    (edited )
    Link
    Facebook has six months to determine if Trump returns In short, Facebook has decided that Facebook acted appropriately, but leaves it to Facebook to set further precedent from Facebook in the future.

    Facebook has six months to determine if Trump returns

    In short, Facebook has decided that Facebook acted appropriately, but leaves it to Facebook to set further precedent from Facebook in the future.

    10 votes
    1. [2]
      RNG
      Link Parent
      It's great that the collection of corporations that have monopolized the new public square are more progressive than the outgoing administration. However there is something deeply dystopian about...

      It's great that the collection of corporations that have monopolized the new public square are more progressive than the outgoing administration. However there is something deeply dystopian about private courts having rulings about who can and cannot have a voice in this square.

      Don't misunderstand me, I strongly believe Trump shouldn't have a voice on social media, but this particular power structure that is taking form is deeply worrying. Yes, it is a fair criticism to point out the hypocrisy of conservatives who wish to regulate/socialize social media companies, that doesn't make the above development any less worrying.

      When progressive causes run counter to the profit motives of this new structure, I don't think we'll be counting on them to be on our side. And I worry about how much collective control these private corporations will have over speech at that point in time.

      6 votes
      1. [2]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. spctrvl
          Link Parent
          Call me a cynic, but I don't think the Republicans will go for anything that actually impacts the corporate bottom line. What you'll more likely see is attempts, largely at the state level, to...

          Call me a cynic, but I don't think the Republicans will go for anything that actually impacts the corporate bottom line. What you'll more likely see is attempts, largely at the state level, to place some narrow and targeted limits on corporate speech that they don't like, like deplatforming fascists, similar to the laws in many states against the BDS movement.

          3 votes
  2. [2]
    Kuromantis
    Link
    Biden’s betting on public support to push his agenda. Polls show his big spending packages have it.

    Biden’s betting on public support to push his agenda. Polls show his big spending packages have it.

    [...] three massive spending packages have quickly become centerpieces of his agenda: The $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package, a $2 trillion infrastructure bill and a $1.8 trillion plan for child care, universal prekindergarten and more.

    [...] his coronavirus stimulus package, has consistently garnered high approval numbers — both when it was first being considered and when it was enacted last month. A new ABC News/Washington Post poll (conducted April 18-21) has found that it’s still popular: 65 percent of Americans support it, and just 31 percent oppose it.

    The American Jobs Plan, a $2 trillion bill to improve infrastructure, is also popular, but recent polls disagree on how much. According to Fox News, which was in the field April 18-21, the plan is fairly divisive: Although a plurality (49 percent) of respondents support it, almost as many (41 percent) oppose it. However, it received higher support in other polls, such as CBS News/YouGov on April 21-24 (58 percent support, 42 percent opposition) and ABC News/Washington Post (52 percent support, 35 percent opposition). Monmouth University’s April 8-12 survey, which detailed that the proposal would spend money on “roads, bridges and trains, internet access, power grid improvements, and clean energy projects,” gave the proposal its gaudiest numbers. A full 68 percent of adults said they supported the plan, while only 29 percent opposed it.

    [...] the American Families Plan, which would put $1.8 trillion toward universal prekindergarten, federal paid leave, child-care subsidies, free community college and more. However, we have known it was coming for some time, so Monmouth was able to poll the popularity of “a large spending plan to expand access to healthcare and childcare, and provide paid leave and college tuition support.” That proposal also garnered widespread enthusiasm, with 64 percent support and 34 percent opposition.

    8 votes
    1. Omnicrola
      Link Parent
      I think if there's one thing that I can say for certain about the Biden administration, it's that they're going to be way way better at messaging than Trump. Regardless of if the actual message is...

      I think if there's one thing that I can say for certain about the Biden administration, it's that they're going to be way way better at messaging than Trump. Regardless of if the actual message is effective or not, I think Biden's administration will be able to pump out a more consistent message about their agenda than Trump ever could.

      4 votes
  3. spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link
    Republicans promote pandemic relief they voted against

    Republicans promote pandemic relief they voted against

    Every Republican in Congress voted against the sweeping pandemic relief bill that President Joe Biden signed into law three months ago. But since the early spring votes, Republicans from New York and Indiana to Texas and Washington state have promoted elements of the legislation they fought to defeat.

    5 votes
  5. Kuromantis
    Link
    Admittedly there's a whole lot more in the article than just this, but this alone IMO makes it worth posting: It's been just over half a year since the 2020 election, and up to 3 out of 4...

    Admittedly there's a whole lot more in the article than just this, but this alone IMO makes it worth posting:
    It's been just over half a year since the 2020 election, and up to 3 out of 4 Republicans still don't believe Biden won

    A big majority of Republicans still won’t accept the presidential election results.
    President Biden took office more than three months ago, but Republicans are not any closer to accepting his victory now than they were then. The latest CNN/SSRS survey, released on April 30, found that 70 percent of Republicans believed the false allegation that Biden did not legitimately defeat former President Trump; just 23 percent said Biden legitimately won. Meanwhile, Democrats (97-3 percent) and independents (69-27 percent) said Biden had won fairly. These numbers are very similar to what CNN/SSRS found in mid-January, just before Biden’s inauguration.

    Democrats know Biden won, 3/4 Republicans still disagree

    4 votes
  6. Kuromantis
    Link
    Not super recent, but noteworthy IMO: Biden administration makes clear that the CIA has only "low to moderate confidence" in its intel on alleged Russian bounties for U.S. troops

    Not super recent, but noteworthy IMO:

    Biden administration makes clear that the CIA has only "low to moderate confidence" in its intel on alleged Russian bounties for U.S. troops

    WASHINGTON — While he was campaigning for president, Joe Biden treated as fact that U.S. intel agencies had determined Russia had paid the Taliban to kill Americans in Afghanistan.

    "I don't understand why this president is unwilling to take on Putin when he's actually paying bounties to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan," Biden said of President Trump, speaking to Kristen Welker of NBC News during the Oct. 22 presidential debate.

    Such a definitive statement was questionable even then. On Thursday, it became more clear that the truth of the matter is unresolved.

    Last fall, while Biden was a candidate, Pentagon officials told NBC News they could not substantiate that such bounties were paid.

    1 vote