17 votes

Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of May 12

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Tags: politics.usa, usa, 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.

16 comments

  1. [3]
    hobbes64
    Link
    Trump says US government plans to accept luxury jet following reports of multimillion-dollar gift from Qatar This is the most blatant corrupt bribe taken by the most corrupt president in history....

    Trump says US government plans to accept luxury jet following reports of multimillion-dollar gift from Qatar

    This is the most blatant corrupt bribe taken by the most corrupt president in history. It’s a clear violation of the constitution and sufficient cause for impeachment.

    Foreign Emoluments

    Article I, Section 9, Clause 8:

    No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

    11 votes
    1. tanglisha
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I’ve worked with federal employees that wouldn’t accept free coffee while working in a contractor office. Bribes are supposed to be a big deal.

      I’ve worked with federal employees that wouldn’t accept free coffee while working in a contractor office. Bribes are supposed to be a big deal.

      9 votes
    2. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      I feel like we have a half dozen trains all labeled constitutional crisis racing towards the supreme court at a hundred mph and it's just a question of which one crashes first.

      I feel like we have a half dozen trains all labeled constitutional crisis racing towards the supreme court at a hundred mph and it's just a question of which one crashes first.

      8 votes
  2. [5]
    boxer_dogs_dance
    Link
    library of Congress staff turn away Trump appointees

    library of Congress staff turn away Trump appointees

    8 votes
    1. [4]
      DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      Credit to them for standing up for their governing laws, their chain of command, etc. Librarians are pretty great as a rule, at least in my experience

      Credit to them for standing up for their governing laws, their chain of command, etc.

      Librarians are pretty great as a rule, at least in my experience

      11 votes
      1. [3]
        tanglisha
        Link Parent
        Librarians have been protecting us for a long time. When the fbi started demand records from them under the Patriot Act, they purged those records rather than turn them over. Librarians in...

        Librarians have been protecting us for a long time. When the fbi started demand records from them under the Patriot Act, they purged those records rather than turn them over. Librarians in Connecticut successfully fought against National Security Letters, the ones that come with a gag order saying you can’t tell anyone you got one.

        5 votes
        1. DefinitelyNotAFae
          Link Parent
          Yep! It's a profession with high standards and broadly (there are always exceptions) it lives up to them.

          Yep! It's a profession with high standards and broadly (there are always exceptions) it lives up to them.

          4 votes
        2. skybrian
          Link Parent
          It might help that Congress seems to pushing back a little. GOP leaders draw the line at Trump’s Library of Congress takeover (Politico) … … …

          It might help that Congress seems to pushing back a little.

          GOP leaders draw the line at Trump’s Library of Congress takeover (Politico)

          A White House push to seize control of the Library of Congress over the past week has run temporarily aground due to quiet but firm resistance from Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, according to three people granted anonymity to describe the sensitive situation.

          While they have not challenged Trump’s abrupt firing last week of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, they have questioned his power to name an acting successor and other library officials, including the nation’s top copyright official. That opposition has left Trump’s intended leader for the library, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, in at least temporary limbo.

          …

          Johnson said in a brief interview that Trump “clearly has the authority to remove a Librarian of Congress” but acknowledged questions about filling the vacancy: “We want to make sure all the — you know, everything’s followed correctly.”

          …

          In a subsequent interview Wednesday, Thune said “consultations” are ongoing and that he expects “more discussions about it next week.” That’s also when the president and his top aides are expected back from a Middle East trip and could weigh in.

          The dispute over the library’s leadership has emerged as a fresh test for the separation of powers — and for how far Republicans on Capitol Hill will let Trump go when their own prerogatives are on the line. It’s especially stark given that the library, located across the street from the Capitol, is where lawmakers get their research, enjoy elegant dinners, host meetings and escort visitors into the ornate Reading Room. That’s not to mention its name.

          “It’s the Library of Congress, after all, not the library of the president,” said Sen. Alex Padilla of California, the top Rules Committee Democrat. He is among numerous congressional Democrats who are raising alarms about a potential Trump takeover of the library and what it could mean.

          …

          The two men were turned away after library officials challenged the legitimacy of their appointments — a determination that came with tacit backing from congressional leadership offices. Newlen told library employees Monday that Congress had not offered explicit “direction” on “how to move forward” following Hayden’s dismissal.

          Some rank-and-file Republicans are openly questioning how much control Trump or any president ought to have over an arm of Congress.

          2 votes
  3. [3]
    patience_limited
    Link
    Airlines are collecting your data and selling it to ICE Republicans aim to enshrine rental price-fixing

    Airlines are collecting your data and selling it to ICE

    Republicans aim to enshrine rental price-fixing

    5 votes
    1. [2]
      ackables
      Link Parent
      That article about RealPage is so upsetting. I’ve been following the lawsuits against RealPage for a few years and had been feeling optimistic that the government was doing something to stick up...

      That article about RealPage is so upsetting. I’ve been following the lawsuits against RealPage for a few years and had been feeling optimistic that the government was doing something to stick up for the average person.

      Many antitrust cases are a bit more ambiguous and have solid arguments on the side of the defendant, but RealPage seems to have no real argument that their software benefits renters in any way. You can’t even argue that RealPage improves market efficiency because they actively increase vacancy rates.

      4 votes
      1. patience_limited
        Link Parent
        There are so many horrors that Republicans are trying to tuck into the "Big Beautiful Bill" that they should just call it "The Necronomicon" and be done.

        There are so many horrors that Republicans are trying to tuck into the "Big Beautiful Bill" that they should just call it "The Necronomicon" and be done.

        5 votes
  5. [2]
    DefinitelyNotAFae
    Link
    Group Founded by Trump Ally Stephen Miller Sues John Roberts in Bid to Control Courts They claim they need to protect the courts from politics by making these two offices part of the executive...

    Group Founded by Trump Ally Stephen Miller Sues John Roberts in Bid to Control Courts

    In the lawsuit filed last week, America First Legal (AFL) argued that the Judicial Conference of the U.S. and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts — two key judicial branch bodies that frame policy and handle the basic functions of the federal courts — are executive branch agencies.

    The Judicial Conference is a policymaking body for the lower federal courts established by Congress to promote public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. The Administrative office handles the nuts and bolts of the federal judiciary, like budgets and organizing court data.

    AFL, which dubs itself “the long-awaited answer to the ACLU,” claimed the two judicial bodies are a part of the executive branch by filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against them. FOIA strictly applies to the executive branch and independent federal regulatory agencies, but not to Congress or the federal courts.

    They claim they need to protect the courts from politics by making these two offices part of the executive because Congress asked SCOTUS for an ethics code.

    3 votes
    1. daychilde
      Link Parent
      And I hereby dub the AFL as the "American Fascist League" and say they can promptly fuck off.

      And I hereby dub the AFL as the "American Fascist League" and say they can promptly fuck off.

      6 votes
  6. [2]
    DefinitelyNotAFae
    Link
    1 Dead as Bomb Damages Palm Springs Fertility Clinic, Mayor Says Gift link. The car blew up so completely that only an axle was left. They don't know the motive or who the deceased is and how...

    1 Dead as Bomb Damages Palm Springs Fertility Clinic, Mayor Says

    Gift link.

    The car blew up so completely that only an axle was left. They don't know the motive or who the deceased is and how they're related to the clinic or incident.

    3 votes
    1. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      1 dead, 4 hurt in Palm Springs car explosion deemed ‘act of terrorism’ by FBI It's being considered an act of terrorism but also an isolated one with a "person of interest" but no search seems...

      1 dead, 4 hurt in Palm Springs car explosion deemed ‘act of terrorism’ by FBI

      It's being considered an act of terrorism but also an isolated one with a "person of interest" but no search seems ongoing. They aren't specifically saying that the deceased individual was the bomber, but they're strongly implying it.

      Make no mistake: This is an intentional act of terrorism," Davis said. He later noted that the investigation will determine whether this is an act of domestic or international terrorism.

      2 votes