Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

Joe Biden wanted you to know how much he’s accomplished in his first fifty days in office, so he gave a speech about it. He promised an accelerated coronavirus vaccination schedule, a new website to book appointments, and hope for normalcy by July 4th.

Meanwhile, all across the country, Democratic efforts to expand voting rights are running up against the Republican campaign to restrict the vote. GOP-sponsored bills in thirty three states take aim at early or absentee voting, to give just one example.

And lastly, the House of Representatives has again passed two bills that would expand background checks for gun purchases. Supporters say getting the bills through the Senate is not only a political but a moral imperative.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Keep an eye on your balance. The next batch of stimulus checks will be deposited into some bank accounts this weekend, the White House said yesterday, according to NBC News. At a press briefing after President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan yesterday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said people can expect to start seeing direct deposits hit their bank accounts as early as this weekend. She said the checks are the first wave and that payments will continue to flow over the next several weeks. The majority of recipients will get a direct payment of up to $1,400. Married couples who make under $150,000 will receive $2,800. Higher earners will see payments phase out and then cut off above certain incomes. Parents who meet income eligibility requirements will get $1,400 per dependent. You know, they should do this every month. Now that would be a real relief.

Biden addressed the country last night in his first televised prime-time address since moving into the White House, and one year since the pandemic shutdowns began. The big headline is that he is directing states to make all adults eligible to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by no later than May 1. He acknowledged the pandemic has extracted a terrible cost from the psyche of us all. He said the wave of hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans must stop. And he sought to reassure Americans that things could begin to return to

something like normal by the Fourth of July. Biden called on Americans to do their part by wearing masks and getting vaccinated. He said QUOTE If we don’t stay vigilant, and the conditions change, we may have to reinstate restrictions to get back on track... This is not the time to let up. ENDQUOTE. Just keep that relief coming.

Republicans Attack Voting Rights

The GOP’s national push to enact hundreds of new election restrictions could strain every available method of voting for tens of millions of Americans, potentially amounting to the most sweeping contraction of ballot access in the United States since the end of Reconstruction, a Washington Post analysis has found. In forty-three states across the country, Republican lawmakers have proposed at least two hundred and fifty laws that would limit voting with such constraints as stricter ID requirements, limited hours or narrower eligibility to vote absentee, according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. The measures are likely to disproportionately affect those in cities and Black voters in particular.

The rush to crack down on voting methods comes after many states temporarily expanded mail and early voting in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, leading to the largest voter turnout in more than a century, the Post reports. In many states, Democrats are trying to make those expansions permanent – and broaden voting access in other ways. Republican state legislators, meanwhile, echoing Donald Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen from him, are pushing hard in the other direction. Many of the most restrictive proposals have surfaced in states where the GOP has a total hold on power, including Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri and Florida.

Limits to early or absentee voting are the most common measures among the proposed restrictions, with such bills on the table in thirty three states, the Post reports. Democratic elections lawyer Marc Elias said long lines will be the story of 2022 unless something is done. He added QUOTE this is now the defining feature of the Republican Party... They don’t run on economic issues, or even social issues. They run on shrinking the vote ENDQUOTE. It’s the only way they can win.

House Passes Gun Control Bills

Democrats continue to test what’s possible with their narrow control of Congress. The House of Representatives passed a pair of bills yesterday that would expand background checks for gun purchases, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to put to a vote, NBC reports. One of the bills would require background checks on nearly all gun purchases, including transactions involving unlicensed or private sellers. The measure, sponsored by California Democratic Representative Mike Thompson, chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, advanced with support from eight Republicans, including Vern Buchanan, Carlos Gimenez and Maria Salazar of Florida, and opposition from one Democrat, Jared Golden, of Maine. The other measure would aim to close the Charleston loophole, which allows the sale of a firearm to proceed if a background check isn’t completed within three days, by expanding the review period to ten days. The bill was sponsored by House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who first introduced it after the June 2015 mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.

The House passed both gun-control bills in February 2019, but the Republican majority blocked them in the Senate, according to NBC. Democrats said there's public support for background checks for gun purchases. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler of New York said the two bills would save many thousands of lives. For that reason, he said QUOTE we have a moral duty to pass it. We have a political duty to pass it given the polling. And if Republicans stand in the way, they'll pay a price both morally and politically ENDQUOTE. Schumer said that the last time they were passed, the bills landed in then- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s legislative graveyard – but that time is now over. Let’s see how the Senate vote goes.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s grip on power appeared increasingly threatened yesterday as a majority of state legislators called for his resignation, Democrats launched an impeachment investigation and police in the state capital said they stood ready to investigate a groping allegation, the Associated Press reports. The Times Union of Albany reported that an aide claimed Cuomo reached under her shirt and fondled her late last year. Cuomo said he never touched anyone inappropriately. Sure, guy.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made an urgent appeal yesterday for $5.5 billion to prevent a catastrophe for thirty four million people in over three dozen countries who are just one step away from famine driven by conflict, the Associated Press reports. Two hundred and seventy million people are facing a hunger crisis this year. For comparison: eight of the biggest food and drink companies paid out over $18 billion to shareholders last year.

A hate crimes bill in South Carolina no longer protects gay or transgender people after a Republican leader said including them would likely lead members of his party to withdraw their support, the AP reports. Supporters of the bill as originally written questioned the worth of a hate crimes law that doesn’t include gay and transgender people, who they say are among those most in need of protection. Once again, keeping Republicans comfortable means pain, misery, and injustice for everyone else.

Prince William yesterday became the first British royal to directly defend his family against accusations of racism made by his sister-in-law Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and her husband Prince Harry in their interview with Oprah Winfrey, per CBS News. William told journalists that the royals are QUOTE very much not a racist family ENDQUOTE. Remind us where you got all that gold and jewels, mate?

MAR 12, 2021 - AM QUICKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Corey Pein

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

An international dispute highlights how little wealthy countries are contributing to the vaccination effort outside their borders. Poor nations could be waiting years to catch up.

Meanwhile, the feds are honing in on members of two extremist groups, the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, as they prosecute the Capitol insurrectionists. Newly revealed messages show the groups’ plans for violence were both detailed and ambitious.

And lastly, a journalist in Iowa was acquited yesterday after being arrested and charged for doing her job covering a protest last summer. Press freedom groups are hailing the verdict.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Are rich countries hoarding vaccines? The Washington Post reports that the European Union is defending itself against accusations of vaccine nationalism, highlighting its role in producing coronavirus vaccines for export and calling out the United States and Britain for not similarly sharing with the world. The EU came under heavy criticism after member Italy blocked the export of two hundred and fifty thousand AstraZeneca doses to Australia last week, citing vaccine shortages and delayed supplies. But now the EU is emphasizing that just one shipment was held back, while two hundred and fifty seven others have gone out. European Council President Charles Michel contrasted the European approach with that in the United States and Britain, which he singled out for having QUOTE imposed an outright ban on the export of vaccines ENDQUOTE.

The EU, the United States and Britain have all invested heavily in coronavirus vaccine research and development, according to the Post. They are also key backers of Covax, a program co-led by the World Health Organization that primarily aims to secure equitable access to vaccines for poorer nations. President Joe Biden last month pledged $4 billion to the program over the next years – more than any other nation has vowed to donate. Still, high-income countries have so far bought up the majority of available vaccine doses, purchasing fifty five percent of coronavirus vaccine supplies worldwide, even though they

represent only sixteen percent of the global population, according to data collected by Duke University. Some poorer nations may still have to wait years for sufficient supplies.

Separately, the Post reports, President Biden announced yesterday that his administration will secure an additional one hundred million doses of the single-shot vaccine developed by Johnson and Johnson. Hopefully as production increases the poor aren’t left unvaccinated and vulnerable, not to mention contagious.

Prosecutors Expose Insurrectionist Plots

This Associated Press story brings us new details on the Capitol insurrection. Members of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys that traveled to Washington along with thousands of other Trump supporters weren’t whipped into an impulsive frenzy by Donald Trump on January 6th, officials say. They’d been laying attack plans. And their internal communications show how authorities are trying to build a case that small cells hidden within the masses mounted an organized, military-style assault on the heart of American democracy.

The Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers make up a fraction of the more than three hundred Trump supporters charged so far in the siege, the AP reports. But several of their leaders, members and associates have become the central targets of the Justice Department’s sprawling investigation. It could mean more serious criminal charges for some rioters. The Oath Keepers began readying for violence as early as last November, authorities say. Communications show the group discussing logistics, weapons and training, including two days of wargames. Hours after the siege, Oath Keepers associate Thomas Caldwell was already talking about another attack. Caldwell said in a message to a friend QUOTE If we’d had guns I guarantee we would have killed one hundred politicians. They ran off and were spirited away through their underground tunnels like the rats they were ENDQUOTE.

Nine people linked to the Oath Keepers have been indicted on charges that they planned and coordinated with one another in the siege, according to the AP. At least eleven leaders, members or associates of the Proud Boys charged in the riots are accused by the Justice Department of participating in a coordinated attack. Several from both groups remain in federal custody while awaiting trial. Trump may have escaped accountability, but his loyal minions may not be so lucky.

Reporter Beats Police Rap

Andrea Sahouri, the Iowa journalist who was arrested as she reported on racial justice protests last summer, was found not guilty in a case that drew widespread condemnation from free press organizations, USA Today reports. Sahouri, a Des Moines Register reporter, was acquitted yesterday of both misdemeanor charges against her, failure to disperse and interference with official acts. Both carried up to thirty days in jail. Sahouri, who covers public safety, was on assignment May 31 at a protest. Sahouri was with her then- boyfriend, Spenser Robnett, who was there for her safety. Robnett was also acquitted of both charges. Sahouri said QUOTE I’m thankful to the jury for doing the right thing. Their decision upholds freedom of the press and justice in our democracy ENDQUOTE.

Sahouri testified Tuesday that she was a journalist on assignment determined to cover the historic protests unfolding in Des Moines, USA Today reports. She said she immediately identified herself as a reporter when first approached by the officer who arrested her. But she was pepper sprayed and handcuffed after the officer told her, QUOTE That's not what I asked ENDQUOTE.

Prosecutors with the Polk County Attorney's Office tried to cast the case narrowly, according to USA Today. They said Sahouri's status as a journalist reporting on the scene was not relevant to whether she committed the acts. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, Sahouri was one of just over a dozen reporters still facing charges for their arrests during the summer protests. More than one hundred and twenty reporters were arrested or detained in 2020, but in most cases, prosecutors dropped the charges. Let this verdict be a lesson to them that the free press is no pushover.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

The Senate voted to confirm Merrick Garland yesterday to serve as attorney general. Garland was confirmed seventy to thirty by senators. He is expected to be sworn in at the Justice Department today. Separately, the Senate voted sixty six to thirty four to confirm Ohio Representative Marcia Fudge as secretary of housing and urban development. She is the first black woman to lead the agency in more than forty years.

House Democrats have approved a bill that would provide protections for workers trying to organize, NPR reports. Union leaders say the PRO Act would begin to level a playing field that is unfairly tilted toward big business. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders called on the Senate to pass the bill, saying QUOTE It was the trade union movement that built the middle class, and it will be the trade union movement that will rebuild the middle class once again ENDQUOTE.

A former employee of a Panda Express in Santa Clarita, California alleges she was required to strip down to her underwear and hug a partially clad co-worker during a cult-like ritual at a training seminar, the Orange County Register reports. Oscar Ramirez, the woman’s attorney, said she is suing to send a message that Panda Express must stop requiring its employees to undergo horrific psychological abuse and harassment to be promoted. Sounds bad, even by the standards of corporate America.

China and Russia have agreed to jointly build a research station on the moon, the Washington Post reports. The lunar base will be open to all interested international partners, according to a statement from the China National Space Administration. The announcement did not give a target date for when the station will be complete. If I were betting, I’d say before Elon Musk gets to Mars.

MAR 11, 2021 - AM QUCKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Corey Pein

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

Hate crimes were down overall last year across America, with a glaring exception. Asian-Americans were increasingly targeted for violence and abuse.

Meanwhile, a new study puts sobering numbers on a global problem: violence against women. There are new calls for men to step up and end it.

And lastly, Harry and Meghan’s big interview with Oprah could hasten the unraveling of the British Commonwealth. Don’t say they never did anything meaningful!

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Hate has festered across America. NBC News reports that an analysis of police department statistics has revealed that the United States experienced a significant hike in anti-Asian hate crimes last year across major cities. The analysis was released by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, this month. It examined hate crimes in sixteen of America’s largest cities. It revealed that while such crimes in 2020 decreased overall by seven percent, those targeting Asian people rose by nearly one hundred and fifty percent. Experts said Donald Trump’s incendiary, racist rhetoric about the coronavirus played a role, but they also noted the problem is complex.

According to NBC, the analysis revealed a surge in cities such as New York, where anti-Asian hate crimes rose from three in 2019 to twenty eight in 2020. Los Angeles and Boston also experienced notable rises, from seven to fifteen and six to fourteen, respectively. According to the analysis, it's likely that overall hate crimes declined due to the pandemic and a subsequent lack of interaction in public areas and other gathering places. The first spike in anti-Asian hate crimes occurred in March and April last year. However, it occurred alongside a rise in Covid-19 cases and ongoing negative associations of Asian Americans with the virus.

NBC notes that the new report compares figures from 2019 and 2020, which does not include recent graphic attacks on Asian American elders earlier this year that have prompted significant media coverage in recent weeks. The longer this trend continues, the less blame can be heaped exclusively on Trump and his hateful legacy.

One-Third Of Women Suffer Violence

The numbers are horrifying. One in four women and girls around the world have been physically or sexually assaulted by a husband or male partner, the Guardian reports. The statistics come from the largest study yet of the prevalence of violence against women. The report, conducted by the World Health Organization and UN partners, found that domestic violence started young, with a quarter of fifteen- to nineteen-year-old women estimated to have been abused at least once in their lives. The highest rates were found to be among thirty- to thirty nine-year-olds. When figures for non-partner violence are included, the WHO estimates that about a third of women aged fifteen or older – up to eight hundred and fifty two million in total – will experience some form of sexual or physical violence in their lifetime. The WHO report focused on physical and sexual violence, but noted that actual rates would be far higher if other types of abuse were included, such as online violence and sexual harassment.

Levels of violence were higher in low- and middle-income countries, the Guardian reports. South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa had some of the highest rates of intimate partner violence. The lowest rates of violence were found in southern and eastern Europe and central and eastern Asia. Doctor Claudia García-Moreno, who leads the WHO’s work on violence against women, said the figures should be a wake-up call to governments about the urgency of the situation. She said QUOTE There’s an urgent need to reduce stigma around this issue, train health professionals to interview survivors with compassion, and dismantle the foundations of gender inequality ENDQUOTE. Fundamentally, she said, violence against women had to be treated as a societal problem, with men and boys involved in tackling it. That’s a polite way of putting it. It’s all men’s fault!

Commonwealth Sours On Monarchy

The sun may finally set on what’s left of the British Empire, per this story from the Washington Post. On Monday, former British colonies from Antigua to Zambia observed Commonwealth Day, an occasion traditionally marked by addresses from the British royal family. But this year’s celebration was overshadowed by Oprah Winfrey’s explosive interview with Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which unfurled new allegations of racism against members of the royal family. The tell-all has ignited fresh debates about abolishing the monarchy in some of the fifty four nations that make up the commonwealth. Calls to remove the vestiges of a colonial past have gained momentum over the past year, fueled by protests against racism and oppression worldwide. Now some politicians have been forced to address whether it still makes sense to retain Queen Elizabeth II as a figurehead.

Some of the loudest calls to sever ties with the monarchy have come from Australia, the Post reports. Members of Australia’s Labor Party have expressed hopes that the explosive interview will reignite the decades-old movement to make Australia a republic. Even before the interview aired, former British colonies in the Caribbean were growing increasingly queasy about their lingering ties to a nation that built its wealth through the slave trade. In September, Barbados announced plans to remove Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. Meanwhile, support for a break with the monarchy is growing in Canada, where a February poll found record levels of support for removing the queen as head of state. But achieving that goal would be a challenge, since all ten provincial legislatures would need to get on board. Similarly, a symbolic split with the monarchy seems unlikely to occur in New Zealand anytime soon. When will the royals get real jobs?

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

The House is poised to approve a sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill today and send it to President Joe Biden to sign, according to the Washington Post. Final passage comes ahead of a prime-time speech Biden is planning for Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of the nation plunging into widespread shutdowns. So, not a happy anniversary.

The arduous task of seating a jury in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death, began in earnest yesterday, the Post reports. Both sides agreed to dismiss sixteen of the first fifty jurors they reviewed for cause based on their answers to a sixteen-page questionnaire. No reasons were given. Maybe they expressed an opinion about the police.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson yesterday signed into law legislation banning nearly all abortions in the state, a sweeping measure that supporters hope will force the US Supreme Court to revisit its landmark Roe versus Wade decision, the Associated Press reports. Abortion rights supporters said they plan to challenge the ban in court. Arkansas is one of at least fourteen states where legislators have proposed outright abortion bans this year. Yipes.

The House Democrats’ campaign arm is officially ending its controversial ban on political consultants who work with candidates challenging sitting Democratic incumbents in primaries, Politico reports. New York Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, the newly installed chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, officially reversed the policy yesterday morning. Fellow New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said QUOTE It's an enormous win ENDQUOTE. Hear hear. May the next class of Democrats be more progressive than the last.

MAR 10, 2021 - AM QUICKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Corey Pein

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

The number of migrant children detained at the U.S. border has tripled in the past two weeks, filling adult detention facilities as places in slightly-more-human shelters run out fast. If this is the new normal, it looks a lot like the old one.

Meanwhile, Republican politicians start their legal onslaught against the Biden administration, as a dozen state attorneys general filed suit challenging an executive order regarding climate change.

And lastly, DSA-backed candidates pull off a rout in the Nevada Democratic Party -- and establishment leaders threw a fit and took their ball home, quitting en mass rather than supporting the new progressive leadership.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

President Biden is already facing a major immigration crisis, as the New York Times reports that the number of migrant children in federal custody has tripled in the past two weeks -- and his administration’s officials aren’t keeping up.

The Times reports that immigration authorities have detained more than 3,250 children who crossed the border unaccompanied in the past two weeks.

And instead of placing them in shelters, documents obtained by the Times show that more than 1,360 of the children have been detained in jail facilities. The law only permits children to spend 72 hours in federal detention before they have to be transferred to a shelter, and the documents show that the government is blowing right past that.

Homeland security, which operates the jails, is blaming Health and Human services, which operates the shelters, saying that the latter has been slow to pick kids up.

But either way, you’ve got children on the border being shuffled between one dismal situation and another perhaps slightly-less dismal one. It’s worth noting that adults and families are still largely being turned away en masse under pandemic restrictions. Unaccompanied children, however, are detained.

None of this is humane, and all of it needs a fix. If Biden is committed to being a better leader than his predecessor, he’s got to take decisive action soon.

GOP Starts Legal Onslaught on Biden

The GOP’s legal gameplan against the Biden administration is kicking into gear. On Monday, a group of 12 attorneys general from Republican-led states filed suit against the administration challenging an executive order that biden sent instructing the federal government to analyze the social costs of greenhouse gas emission.

The executive order itself was relatively mundane: signed on Biden’s first day in office, it basically audited where the federal government was at on climate change and reaffirmed Biden’s pledge to quote “advance environmental justice.” Endquote.

In response, the GOP singled out a single section, which established a working group comprised of the OMB head and several cabinet members tasked with looking at the social costs of various greenhouse gas emissions.

The Republican Attorney General gang jumped at that as some overreach of federal power, writing in their lawsuit that the directive was a threat to separation of powers and quoting an absurd Supreme Court dissent by Antonin Scalia.

Quote:“Frequently,” a threat to the separation of powers “will come before the Court clad, so to speak, in sheep’s clothing.... But this wolf comes as a wolf.”

Endquote.

Clearly, these dudes are, shall we say, high on their own supply. But the legal tactic could represent a real hangup for the Biden administration, which is sure to get an avalanche of similar tactics as the GOP looks to derail his agenda at least as much as liberal lawsuits were able to forestall some of Trump’s most destructive actions.

It doesn’t even matter if most of these cases fail or get thrown out -- if even one gets upheld or ruled in their favor, it’s a win for the GOP. And meanwhile, it costs the federal government time and money to be defending itself at every turn.

This is how politics works now, so we better get used to it -- and hope that Biden’s lawyers are better at their jobs than Trump’s were.

Progressives Take Over Nevada Democratic Party

In case that last story convinced you that the GOP was the only party capable of throwing weird temper tantrums, you won’t believe what we’ve got next.

In Nevada, the entire staff of the state democratic party quit this weekend, largely in protest to a slate of Democratic Socialist-backed progressive candidates sweeping internal leadership elections.

The Intercept reports that on Saturday, a coalition of progressive candidates backed by the local chapter of the DSA took over all five party leadership elections in the Nevada Democratic Party. In response, party leadership pre-emptively moved $450,000 out of the party’s larger war chest into separate accounts controlled by the establishment-led Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and then quit en masse.

The background drama behind all this is a bit more complicated to parse, involving multiple factions that supported Bernie Sanders and the tightly-controlled old guard of the state’s party that was run by former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, but the Intercept has the details.

Judith Whitmer, the progressive who is now the new chair of the Nevada Democratic Party said quote: “We weren’t really surprised, in that we were prepared for it. But what hit us by surprise was the willingness to just walk away, instead of working with us.”

Let’s hope that at some point, an adult in the room of the national party decides to give their new progressive colleagues a more friendly welcome.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

Some encouraging news from Brazil, where the Supreme Court invalidated the criminal convictions of former President Lula da Silva. Da Silva is now eligible to challenge fascist Jair [JAI-YEER] Bolsonaro in 2022, and could have pretty substantial support, as he was leading the country’s polls when he was convicted in 2018.

The first major poll of the New York City mayoral race has a familiar face out ahead. Andrew Yang leads all contenders with 32 percent, 13 points clear of his nearest challenger, former NYPD officer Eric Adams.

The trial of Andrea Sahouri [SA-HOO-REE], a Des Moines Register reporter arrested while doing her job covering the Black Lives Matter protests last summer, began on Monday. The prosecution is trying to obscure the fact that Sahouri was actively reporting during her arrest, and throwing the book at her regardless, setting a dangerous precedent for reporters working during civil unrest in the future.

And finally, Congress has a new frontrunner in its always-entertaining “biggest Nazi” competition, after Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar tweeted out a white nationalist group’s slogan on Sunday, a few days after speaking at their convention outside of CPAC. Seems like a great guy!

MAR 9, 2021 - AM QUICKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Jack Crosbie

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

The Senate passed Joe Biden’s flagship Coronavirus aid package on Saturday, against unanimous Republican opposition, despite all of the concessions hacked out of it by centrists like Joe Manchin.

Meanwhile, The U.S. proposed an interim power-sharing agreement with the Taliban, the fundamentalist government turned insurgency that we overthrew in 2001, showing just how deranged and pointless the past 20 years of war have been.

And lastly, Biden signs an executive order meant to make voting easier, as state GOP bosses aim to brutalize voting rights all over the country.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The Senate passed Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package on Saturday, narrowly scraping by without Kamala Harris’s tiebreaker vote because one Republican was absent.

The other 49 members of the GOP voted against the bill, even after conservative democrats like Joe Manchin had made sure its most progressive bits were sliced out.

Manchin personally lobbied against the $15 minimum wage amendment proposed by Bernie Sanders and had worked hard to shoot down a bump to the $300 a week enhanced unemployment benefits keeping many Americans afloat.

Biden supported both of those things, but because he currently doesn’t have a handle on his own party, the barely-Democratic brigade ran the show.

Reuters reported that the Senate set a record for its longest single vote in the modern era, at 11 hours and 50 minutes, most of which spent on shooting down dozens of Republican amendments and negotiating a compromise on the UI benefits for Manchin’s sake.

Since the Senate hacked up the bill originally passed by the House by removing the minimum wage increase, they have to send it back to the Representatives before it ends up on Biden’s desk for him to sign.

Still, it does mean that we’re one step closer to actually getting the $1400 checks that Biden has agreed to give us. He originally promised $2000, but hey, who’s counting. It’s not like we’re in the midst of a desperate global recession or anything!

U.S. Proposes Sharing Power With Taliban

We have been at war in Afghanistan for 19 years, five months, and one day. In October of 2001, we invaded the country to overthrow the Taliban, a fundamnetalist regime that was believed to be hiding Osama Bin Laden. We later found him in Pakistan, but nevermind.

Last week, the Biden administration proposed a plan for a sweeping power-sharing agreement between the Afghan government we installed after invading and the Taliban, showing just how little the U.S. has accomplished after almost 20 years of violence.

The power-sharing plan, which was obtained and published by Afghanistan’s Tolo News, is a sort of last-ditch plan for some semblance of peace in the country. The U.S. is pushing for, at the least, a restart to the peace talks between the two groups brokered by the United Nations.

Biden faces a May 1 deadline to decide whether or not to leave any troops in the country. In a letter also published by Tolo, Biden’s secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, warned Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, that the Taliban would take over massive swathes of territory if U.S. troops pull out.

That’s what someone who wanted to stay at war would say, of course, but unfortunately it’s also probably true. The U.S.’s decades of war in Afghanistan have left everyone involved, except perhaps the Taliban, in a no-win situation.

The Washington Post reports that Afghan experts think the Taliban is moving closer to a total military victory, but doesn’t want to then have to lead a country that would get cut off from U.S. aid. As we said. There’s no winning in this one.

Biden Orders Voting Access

Biden signed an executive order on Sunday aimed at expanding federal voting education, outreach, and access.

Sunday was the 56th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march in Birmingham Alabama, but the order he signed is somewhat less revolutionary than the actions civil rights leaders took there.

Biden’s order largely pushes federal organizations to modernize their voter outreach programs, including vote dot gov, and expand access to registration materials to people with disabilities, incarcerated people, and other underserved groups.

What it doesn’t do, of course, is directly combat some of the outright attacks on voting rights that have been launched in GOP-controlled state legislatures for years. The GOP under Trump, and after him, has been engaged in a nationwide push to restrict voting rights as much as possible, because they know they can’t win elections in a fair or representative democracy.

Biden does support HR1, the For the People Act, which passed the House last week. That bill does lay out several more concrete ways to fight back against the GOP’s anti-democracy forces, so it’ll be important to watch that one as it hits the Senate.

But the GOP’s onslaught on voting may be on firmer ground in the courts, as the conservative-majority supreme court is currently hearing arguments on an Arizona case that could limit activists' ways to fight voter suppression.

Biden’s order is at least a token acknowledgement of the problem, but if Democrats want to hold any power at all in the next few cycles, they’re going to have to get serious about protecting every American’s right to vote.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

A U.N. report revealed that the world’s population wastes more than two trillion pounds of food per year, which breaks down to roughly 163 pounds per person in private homes alone, to say nothing of restaurants and businesses. This isn’t to scold everyone for not finishing their dinner, but more of a reminder of the damaging inefficiencies that the global economic system wreaks.

Meghan Markle said in an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey that forces inside the British Royal family prevented her from receiving mental health support and psychiatric help, as well as speculated about the skin color of her child with Britain’s Prince Harry. Monarchies -- not great, it turns out!

The CDC is expected to release its official guidelines for what vaccinated Americans should or should not do at some point this week. We’ll expect those to be pretty cautious, but still might have some encouraging notes for people who’ve gotten the jab already.

And finally, it’s all falling down for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, including, perhaps, his bridge, as a new report shows that structural problems with the bridge named after Cuomo’s father were covered up. Adding to this, more top state democratic officials are calling for his resignation. Not looking good for the guy.

MAR 8 , 2022 - AM QUICKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Jack Crosbie

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

Washington, DC, will remain in fortress mode as the Pentagon considers a request to keep the National Guard deployed there. Perhaps because of the heightened security, a reported threat against the Capitol yesterday failed to materialize.

Meanwhile, in Silicon Valley, local officials swept a homeless encampment that sprung up near the Facebook campus. Advocates liken the scenes to something out of the Great Depression and say the wealthy need to do more to ensure everyone has access to housing.

And lastly, there are two competing bills in Congress regarding the future of Puerto Rico and the question of statehood. Progressive groups favor the one backed by AOC, which aims to create a meaningful process around decolonization.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The seat of American power is still on high alert for threats from within. US Capitol Police have requested a sixty-day extension of the National Guard members activated in the District of Colombia in response to security threats and the January 6th assault on Congress, according to the Washington Post. If approved, it would keep Guard members on duty through May, defense officials said. About five thousand two hundred Guard troops are on duty in Washington now. They are staffing a security perimeter around the Capitol that includes miles of fencing around one of the major symbols of American democracy.

The request appeared to catch DC Mayor Muriel Bowser by surprise, the Post reports. She said her expectation was that the additional forces would be leaving now, adding that Capitol Police have had limited communication with the city. The request comes after Capitol Police officials said Wednesday that they had information about a possible attempt by a militia group to breach the Capitol on Thursday, a date that some followers of QAnon falsely claimed would mark Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The House canceled a session yesterday in response, while the Senate remained in session to consider President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.

Concerns about QAnon at the Capitol were not borne out Thursday, the Post reports. While Guard members remained on duty and the fencing and barbed wire is still in place, there was no violence. The appearance of the military forces, and the onerous security measures in place, have become controversial – and politicized – in recent weeks. Representative Elissa Slotkin, Democrat of Michigan, called for more transparency. And some Republicans have questioned the need for the National Guard to stay. Of course, some Republicans cheered on the insurrection, so their judgment here is questionable.

Homeless Evicted Near Facebook

This vignette from the great class divide comes from the Los Angeles Times. In the shadow of Facebook’s headquarters, dozens of unsheltered people made their home on a sixty-acre plot of grass and marshland they shared with foxes, coyotes and other Silicon Valley wildlife. The encampment has existed for years, but started swelling in numbers last summer. In 2019, the Bay Area was home to more than twenty eight thousand homeless people, third nationwide behind only New York City with seventy six thousand and Los Angeles with fifty five thousand. Those numbers have likely increased during the pandemic. Sometimes tents appear on the edges of city parks, inches from multimillion-dollar homes.

Heather Freinkel, an attorney for the Oakland-based Homeless Action Center, told the Times QUOTE I know it sounds dramatic, but the scale feels like something out of the Great Depression or Dust Bowl. It’s really not OK ENDQUOTE. As numbers in the camp swelled, infrastructure within the camp became increasingly intricate and complicated. Camp occupants dug four-feet deep latrines in the ground, erected solar panels around their structures, constructed chimneys into their shelters, and kept dogs that alerted them to strangers.

A spokeswoman for Facebook told the Times that the company was not involved in the local decision to dismantle the neighboring encampment. In mid-February, a crew of Caltrans contractors arrived with three fifty-yard dumpsters and dismantled the tents and structures, removed the residents’ belongings and filled in the holes that dotted the landscape. By Monday of this week, an encampment had been partially rebuilt. A few days later, even more people had returned. What’s needed, advocates say, is more housing options — solutions that will allow people to live in dignity. Amen to that. Maybe Mark Zuckerberg should chip in.

Puerto Rico Statehood Bills Considered

There are dueling proposals for Puerto Rico’s future. Progressive organizations are pushing for passage of a bill they say gives Puerto Ricans a voice on the question of the island's status and its relationship with the US, NBC News reports. The push aims to present an alternative to pro-statehood legislation introduced Tuesday by two Puerto Rican members of Congress. In a letter sent yesterday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, advocates from more than eighty grassroots organizations across sixteen states and Puerto Rico urged prioritizing the passage of the Puerto Rico Self- Determination Act of 2020.

According to NBC, the progressive groups argue that unlike the statehood bill introduced on Tuesday by Representatives Darren Soto, Democrat of Florida, and Jenniffer Gonzalez, Republican of Puerto Rico, the Self-Determination Act would ensure that Puerto Ricans have access to a legitimate, accountable and inclusive process for decolonization. The bill was introduced last year by New York Democratic Representatives Nydia Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It proposed creating a status convention made up of delegates elected by Puerto Rican voters who would come up with a long-term solution for the island’s territorial status – whether it be statehood, independence, or any option other than the current territorial arrangement.

Velázquez and AOC are expected to reintroduce their bill in the House this year, NBC reports. The Puerto Rico Statehood Admissions Act, introduced Tuesday by Soto and González, aims to make the island a state. The statehood legislation follows a referendum that took place last November. It directly asked voters whether Puerto Rico should immediately be admitted as a state. With nearly fifty-five percent voter turnout, about fifty three percent of Puerto Ricans who voted favored statehood while forty seven percent rejected it. With margins so close, the process matters that much more.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

The Transportation Department’s internal watchdog found evidence of potential ethical violations by then-Secretary Elaine Chao and referred the case to the Justice Department for prosecution in December, but it declined, according to the Washington Post. Investigators from the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General said Chao used government employees to perform private tasks, such as arranging Christmas ornaments. Pretty tacky!

Pope Francis and Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of millions of Shiite Muslims, will meet in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf on Saturday, NBC reports. It is believed to be the first meeting between a pope and an Iraqi grand ayatollah. While at the Vatican, Francis has worked to build a Christian-Muslim alliance as a way to combat the cycle of Islamic terrorism and nationalist populist reactions. Al-Sistani has similarly called for peaceful coexistence and dialogue among faiths. When’s the last time you heard good news from Iraq?

In a major shift in policy, California officials said Wednesday night they will now devote forty percent of available Covid-19 vaccines to residents in the most disadvantaged areas, the LA Times reports. The shift comes amid mounting evidence that Latino and Black communities are falling behind white and Asian ones in getting access to the vaccine. This has sparked concern in part because those underserved communities have been hardest hit by Covid-19. Vaccine justice now!

The AFL-CIO's executive board will meet next week to determine its position on eliminating the filibuster, the labor federation's president, Richard Trumka, told Politico yesterday. If organized labor coalesces around overturning the filibuster, a priority for many progressives, it could give the movement significant momentum. And then all kinds of good and interesting things could happen. We’ll keep you posted either way.

MAR 5, 2021 - AM QUICKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Corey Pein

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

Centrist Democrats in the Senate have convinced Joe Biden to limit how many people will qualify for direct $1,400 payments in his pandemic relief bill. But progressive members of Congress are still pushing for expanded eligibility.

Meanwhile, a new study shows how hard the nonprofit sector has been hit by the economic fallout of the pandemic. For smaller arts organizations in particular, the news is very bad.

And lastly, a hate crimes bill has been introduced in the Wyoming legislature. It’s one of three or four states that still don’t have such a law on the books.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Here’s what’s new with the incredible shrinking pandemic relief bill. President Biden has agreed to narrow eligibility for a new round of $1,400 stimulus payments in his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, under pressure from moderate Senate Democrats, the Washington Post reports. Biden and Senate Democratic leaders are scrambling to keep their caucus united since they cannot lose a single Democrat in the fifty-fifty Senate with Republicans united against the legislation.

The Post reports that under the changes agreed to by Biden and Senate Democratic leadership, individuals earning $75,000 per year and couples earning $150,000 would still receive the full $1,400-per-person benefit. However, the benefit would disappear for individuals earning more than $80,000 annually and couples earning more than $160,000. That means singles making between $80,000 and $100,000 and couples earning between $160,000 and $200,000 would be newly excluded from a partial benefit under the revised structure Biden agreed to. About twelve million fewer adults and five million fewer kids would get the stimulus payments under the new Biden-Senate compromise.

Centrist Senate Democrats had initially pushed for even more aggressive restrictions on the stimulus payments, according to the Post. Senior Democratic officials had at one point considered dropping the full benefit for those making more than $50,000 per year, a change they ultimately abandoned after a backlash led by Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden of

Oregon and Senate Budget Chair Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Presuming the Senate passes the package later this week, it would still have to go back to the House for final approval. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said QUOTE I don’t understand the political or economic wisdom in allowing Trump to give more people relief checks than a Democratic administration ENDQUOTE. AOC, you are not alone there.

Many Nonprofits Face Closure

Here are some more stark numbers for you. More than one-third of US nonprofits are in jeopardy of closing within two years because of the financial harm inflicted by the pandemic, the Associated Press reports. That figure comes from a study released yesterday by the philanthropy research group Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. The study’s findings underscore the perils for nonprofits and charities whose financial needs have escalated over the past year, well in excess of the donations that most have received.

The researchers analyzed how roughly three hundred thousand nonprofits would fare under twenty scenarios of varying severity, the AP reports. The worst-case scenario led to the closings of thirty eight percent of the nonprofits. Even the scenarios seen as more realistic resulted in closures well into double digit percentages. Among the most vulnerable nonprofits, the study said, are those involved in arts and entertainment, which depend on ticket sales for most of their revenue, cannot significantly their reduce expenses and don’t typically hold much cash. Other studies have concluded that smaller arts and culture groups, in particular, are at serious risk. Californians for the Arts, for example, surveyed arts and culture nonprofits in the state and found that about sixty four percent had shrunk their workforces. And a report last week from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found that employment in New York City’s arts, entertainment and recreation sector tumbled sixty six percent during 2020.

The AP says that while arts and entertainment groups may be at particular risk, nonprofits from all sectors are in danger. According to the study, the District of Columbia was expected to lose the most nonprofits per capita, followed by Vermont and North Dakota. We’re gonna need a bigger relief bill to save this sector of the economy.

Wyoming Tackles Hate Crimes

Progress moves slowly but it is still moving. Wyoming lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a bill aimed at combating hate crimes in the state, CBS News reports. It is one of three remaining states with no laws against bias-motivated crimes on its books. The move comes after a push by advocates in the state where gay college student Matthew Shepard was killed in 1998. More than two decades later, Wyoming remains without a hate crimes law even though the 2009 federal anti-hate crime law bears Shepard's name. Though Wyoming's tagline is The Equality State, named so for being the first to grant women the right to vote, the state is known to many outsiders for Shepard's brutal murder.

Shepard's mother Judy Shepard told CBS News that while she was traveling several years ago wearing a Wyoming shirt, she was asked, Isn't that where that gay kid was murdered? Pressure has been increasing on lawmakers in Wyoming and the two other states that remain without hate crime legislation – South Carolina and Arkansas, where bills have been introduced. Some advocates also include Indiana on the list of states without hate crime laws, calling a law passed in that state in 2019 problematically broad. Some similar laws in other states mandate enhanced sentences for those convicted of a crime motivated by bias. Wyoming's proposed legislation, however, would not mandate enhanced sentences.

CBS reports that the bill will likely be assigned to the legislature's judiciary committee, where a hearing is expected in the coming weeks, said Democratic Representative Cathy Connolly, a co-sponsor of the bill. While questions remain to be hashed out – including over the scope of incidents that law enforcement should be required to report – Connolly said the introduction of the bill is a big deal. Especially for marginalized people in The Equality State.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

In his first public remarks since a sexual harassment scandal enveloped his administration, Governor Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that he was embarrassed by his actions and apologized, but said that he would not resign, the New York Times reports. He also said he has learned, adding QUOTE I will be the better for this experience ENDQUOTE. Well then, congratulations are in order!

The far-right party Alternative für Deutschland will be spied on by Germany’s intelligence agency under suspicion of posing a threat to democracy, the Guardian reports. It is currently the largest opposition party in parliament. The state intel agency is now able by law to monitor the phones of AfD members and spy on its activities as a suspected extreme rightwing organisation. Suspected? Surely it’s confirmed by now.

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI sent a joint intelligence bulletin to law enforcement agencies late Tuesday warning that some domestic groups have discussed plans to take control of the US Capitol and remove Democratic lawmakers on or about March 4 – today – according to NBC News. Also yesterday, the Capitol Police said it has uncovered a possible plot to breach the Capitol by a militia group. The House canceled its session today out of caution. Supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory have set this as the date they believe Donald Trump will return to office. Good luck with that, jabronis.

Myanmar security forces dramatically escalated their crackdown on protests against last month’s coup, killing at least thirty-four protesters yesterday in several cities, according to the AP. That is highest daily death toll since the February 1st takeover. Videos from yesterday also showed security forces firing slingshots at demonstrators, chasing them down and even brutally beating an ambulance crew. Solidarity with the people of Myanmar.

That’s all for the AM Quickie. Join us this afternoon on the Majority Report.

MAR 4, 2021 - AM QUICKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Corey Pein

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

The Biden Administration announced that there will be enough available coronavirus vaccine for every adult in the country by May, though it will take a bit longer than that to actually get every shot in someone’s arm.

Meanwhile, Texas governor Greg Abbot declares a full re-opening of his state and a repeal of the universal mask mandate, basically ensuring that health officials worst nightmares come true for the next few months.

And lastly, a lawyer who partly inspired California’s extremely worker-hostile Proposition 22 finds a new job: in the Biden Administration as a senior advisor on labor issues. Great!

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The vaccine tidal wave is here. Thanks to the quick approval of the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine and increased supply of the already-approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, President Biden announced on Tuesday that the country was on track to have enough vaccine for every adult American by the end of May. That doesn’t mean we’ll all have our shots by then, of course, but it means that distribution will be the only problem to solve, not supply.

The Administration claims that it helped create the new rush of doses by brokering a partnership between Johnson and Johnson and fellow big pharma giant Merck, which failed to develop a vaccine of its own but still has the capabilities to manufacture millions of doses.

The prior target for this step was the end of July, so it’s clear that the administration feels pretty confident in moving up its timetable.

The numbers so far aren’t overwhelming, but they’re definitely something: so far, about 51.7 million people had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and 26.1 million are fully inoculated.

The best case scenario is that the U.S. ends up with a massive surplus of vaccines this summer, and can start donating them to other countries in need. But on the other hand, we may need more for booster shots if virus resistant variants of the disease continue to circulate. Either way, the supply looks like it’s coming in.

Abbott Reopens Texas to Death

But as the country takes some steps forward on a national level, the GOP establishment in Texas is determined to take as many massive steps backward as possible.

On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a quote “full reopening” of the state and a full lifting of the statewide mask mandate, effective March 10. That means every business will be allowed to reopen at full capacity and no one will be required to wear masks.

Here’s his tweet, quote:

I just announced Texas is OPEN 100%. EVERYTHING.

Endquote.

That’s everything in all caps, just in case it wasn’t Texas enough for you.

Abbot’s plan is exactly what the experts we mentioned in yesterday’s quickie were afraid of.

In a follow-up tweet, Abbot cited the state’s increasing vaccination rates and low positivity and hospitalization rates as justification for the move. The irony of course is that his decision will almost certainly send those rates skyrocketing again, but he’s clearly betting that the political goodwill he’ll get from the state’s conservative establishment will make it all worth it.

Gilberto Hinojosa, the state’s Democratic party chairman, summed it up bluntly, saying quote:

“What Abbott is doing is extraordinarily dangerous. This will kill Texans. Our country’s infectious disease specialists have warned that we should not put our guard down, even as we make progress towards vaccinations. Abbott doesn’t care.”

Endquote.

He’s right. Abbott is wrong. And once again, it’s the people of Texas who will suffer.

Biden Hires Labor Lackey

And finally, one more story of a bad Biden administration hiring. It’s been a few days since we had one of those! Here we go.

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that Biden had hired Former Obama Labor Department official Seth Harris top adviser on labor issues. For people not tracking the minutiae of every hiring and firing in Washington, this news might not mean that much. But Harris is a name every person concerned with the future of workers’ rights in this country should know.

That’s because after working in the Department of Labor under Obama, he departed for the far more lucrative private sector, landing at the law firm Dentons, which counts on its list of clients little mom and pop companies like, say, Walmart.

Bloomberg’s report cited top labor leaders like AFL-CIO president Richard Trumpka saying positive things about Harris, but the disappointing bits of his record are still pretty hard to swallow.

For instance: Harris’s best-known act in the past few years is a 2015 paper he wrote for the Hamilton Project on quote “modernizing labor laws for twenty-first century work” by creating a new class of workers that weren’t employees or independent contractors, but something in between.

That paper went on to be positively cited by ridesharing giants Uber and Lyft in their celebration of the passage of Proposition 22, the California law that made it so gig workers in the state would receive a pittance of benefits, just enough that they wouldn’t be entitled to the full protections of an actual employee.

Let’s hope that his advice to the most pro-labor president of our lifetimes is a little better than that last idea!

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

An internal Justice Department document obtained by the Intercept reveals that Donald Trump referred a whopping 334 internal leaks to the FBI for prosecution, far more than any other president. Looks like old Donny didn’t mind the Deep State when he was trying to get it to do his dirty work.

Neera Tanden’s fraught nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget is done, after she withdrew her candidacy on Tuesday night. We wish her well in whatever other Administration job she’s quietly shuffled into!

The Washington Post reports that the conservative-majority supreme court may be bending towards the worst possible outcome in the voting rights case we mentioned yesterday, indicating that they may support making it more difficult to challenge the glut of Republican voting laws aimed at suppressing votes across the country.

And finally, despite the mounting calls for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign, the Post reports that the State’s top party leadership isn’t joining in yet, instead siding with calls for an independent investigation before we know Cuomo’s fate. Playing it safe, in other words, in case Cuomo somehow wriggles out of this one.

MAR 3, 2021 - AM QUICKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Jack Crosbie

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

Life is starting to look a lot more normal in much of America, but experts worry that some places may be re-opening too soon, even with all the good news on the vaccine front. We’ll break down the latest Covid news today.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that far right groups are starting to fall apart after Trump’s defeat. But that may not be a good thing, as the smaller splinter groups can be harder to track.

And lastly, a third woman has come forward to share a story of sexual harassment by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, this time accompanied by photographic evidence, prompting mounting calls by state and local officials for him to resign.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

COVID Winter Almost Clear

Here’s the good news: things are looking up in America. After a solid year of mounting calamity, the coronavirus toplines are beginning to look slightly more positive.

A new study shows that the AstraZeneca vaccine substantially reduced the risk of getting sick from COVID-19 for elderly people, even after just one shot, meaning that even early stages of vaccination could help some of the most vulnerable populations.

Johnson and Johnson’s one-shot vaccine got emergency FDA approval on Saturday, and started shipping out doses on Monday.

The bad news is that all of this good news could make people get carried away.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky said on monday that she was quote “really worried” endquote about restrictions being lifted in some states.

The risk is that with new virus variants still spreading and the U.S. at a plateau of about 60,000 new cases a day, a wave of reopening across the country could keep the virus’s fires alive for longer than necessary.

Robert Horsburgh, an epidemiologist at the Boston University School of Public Health told the New York Times that he’s quote “Advocating for us to just hang tight for four to six more weeks.”

endquote. That seems like a long time, sure, but we’ve been at this a year. We can get through the final stretch.

Far Right Starts To Break Up

The New York Times has an interesting report on the state of the far right. To put it simply: thing’s aren’t great!

But that’s not necessarily cause for celebration for those of us who don’t want to see any more political violence from the fascists among us.

The Times reports that some of the most prominent groups that organized and participated in the January 6 riots are now splintering apart and blaming one another for the fallout, which has seen dozens of arrests. The Oathkeepers, the Proud Boys, and the explicitly white nationalist Groyper Army are all squabbling amongst themselves.

Part of the Proud Boys chaos, incidentally, might be driven by the news that their leader, Enrique Tarrio, was an informant for law enforcement. Nobody likes a snitch.

But experts say that this fracturing and infighting could lead to a couple more dangerous things: a regrouping phase where new groups form and seek to recruit and re-establish themselves.

It also means that existing members could radicalize further, and that lone actors who are harder to track than the established groups could seek to plan action on their own.

One expert told the Times quote: “When these groups get disrupted by law enforcement, all it does is scatter the rats. It does not get rid of the rodent problem.” endquote.

And at this point, it’s pretty tough to trust that the law enforcement establishments in this country are up to the task of chasing down that many scurrying beasts.

Yet More Cuomo Creep Allegations

A third woman has come forward to share a story of sexual harassment by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, this time accompanied by photographic evidence that he put his hands on her lower back and face at a wedding while asking to kiss her, as she tried to turn away.

Cuomo faces mounting pressure in the face of a statewide investigation led by Attorney General Tish James, and after the New York Times reported out the third victim’s story on Monday night, faced immediate calls to resign from state and local officials.

The photo itself is incredibly damning. It shows Anna Ruch, a guest at a wedding that Cuomo also attended, recoiling from the governor as he places both hands on either side of her face.

She told the Times that he touched her lower back before this, forcing her to remove his hand with her own, before saying she seemed quote “aggressive” and asking if he could kiss her.

A spokesperson for the Governor referred the Times only to his half-hearted apology from yesterday.

But that’s clearly not going to be enough. Just hours after the story went live, multiple New York State Representatives, Senators, City Council Members, and other government officials publicly called for Cuomo’s resignation and the continuation of the investigation into his behavior.

Governor Cuomo’s brother Chris Cuomo, meanwhile, used the top of his show on CNN to say that he was aware of the allegations against the Governor but could not address them, seemingly forgetting the period in the pandemic when the Governor was a regular guest on his show for fluff appearances.

As of our script-sending time, the Governor had not responded to their calls or to the new allegations.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

One of the only Democratic statewide officials in Florida is calling for an investigation into GOP-goon-governor Ron Desantis’s rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. In a letter, Florida’s agricultural commissioner said DeSantis’s behavior was quote: “an inept distribution of vaccines at best, and corrupt political patronage at worst.” endquote.

Bernie Sanders became one of the few political leaders in the Senate to urge the Democratic party to ignore the parlaimentarian’s ruling on the $15 minimum wage, mentioning that he’ll be keeping tabs on who votes for it in the roll call vote and saying quote “This is the soul of the Democratic Party.” Let’s hope some more prominent voices join him.

A Trump advisor said the former president was vaccinated before leaving the White House. Of course, he didn’t publicise that he was receiving the vaccine, because that could have actually sent an encouraging sign to the nation, which is currently grappling with widespread vaccine skepticism.

Elizabeth Warren returned to one of her favorite and most righteous beats on Monday, introducing a bill in the Senate to establish a wealth tax on the richest hundred-thousand households in the country. Its chances of getting passed probably aren’t great, but at least she’s still trying.

MAR 2, 2021 - AM QUICKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Jack Crosbie

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

House Democrats pass a sweeping coronavirus aid package, and send it on to the Senate, where it will be gutted and stripped of a $15 minimum wage by Republicans and bureaucratic nonsense alike.

Meanwhile, President Biden releases a statement on the Amazon union drive in Bessemer, Alabama -- sort of. He forgets to mention the company itself, of course, but it’s a start.

And lastly, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is hit with a new wave of sexual impropriety allegations, and releases a half-hearted apology in an attempt to save face.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The House of Representatives passed a sweeping Coronavirus relief bill on Saturday morning, which includes $1400 direct payments and a nationwide increase to a $15 minimum wage.

But the latter part of that massive leap is almost certainly going to get crushed in the Senate. On Thursday, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that the $15 minimum wage was not permitted to be in the massive coronavirus aid package Democrats are hoping to pass in the senate.

The specifics of this decision are a bit convoluted, involving the budget reconciliation process and some other procedural things, but what you need to know is this: an unelected bureaucrat said that the $15 minimum wage can’t happen.

Fortunately, there are two ways Democrats could get past this. One is Kamala Harris overriding the parliamentarian, a strategy the GOP has used before and would be relatively easy for her to do, and the other is eliminating the filibuster and passing the bill without the budget process. The latter is still, frustratingly, a long shot.

And unfortunately, Joe Biden and Senate Democratic leadership have already indicated that they aren’t willing to take the first option. Progressive outcry to this has been understandably loud, because it’s basically a declaration that congressional decorum means more than actually getting people a minimum wage.

What happens next is that the Senate guts the bill, then sends it back to the House, meaning this whole mess added another step before Americans can get any actual help.

Biden Remembers He's Pro-Labor

President Biden has finally broken his silence on the major union battle between workers and Amazon in Bessemer Alabama.

On Sunday night, Biden released a video stating explicitly that his administration supported workers rights to form a union and condemned employer’s attempts to interfere with the process.

Of course, that’s exactly what’s happening in Bessemer -- and while Biden did mention the election in Alabama, he didn’t mention the company doing all the union busting by name.

Nor did he explicitly endorse the union. He simply reiterated that he believes unions are good for workers, saying quote:

“It’s not up to me to decide whether anyone should join a union. But let me be even more clear: it’s not up to an employer to decide that either. The choice to join a union is up to the workers, full stop.” endquote.

That’s a major step forward. It’s unequivocally good to have a U.S. president willing to endorse organized labor in such definitive terms. But it is disappointing that Biden didn’t directly call out Amazon for the destructive work they’ve done so far to stop the union forming.

Still, any boost that the workers In Bessemer can get is a good one. Let’s hope this isn’t the last we hear from Biden on the subject.

Cuomo Allegations Mount

Finally, the allegations of sexual impropriety and harassment against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo continue to mount, and the pressure is spilling over from New York State politics into a national scandal.

On Saturday, the New York Times published a story including yet another woman’s first hand account of impropriety and harassment by the governor.

The latest allegations aren’t explicit: the governor didn’t make any overt physical moves toward the victim. But he did establish a pattern of speaking inappropriately to a 25-year-old aide, asking her questions about her personal and sexual life.

This adds to testimony last week from a former Albany official that the mayor harassed her for years and once kissed her without her consent.

In response, the Governor offered this as a so-called apology quote:

“I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.”

Cuomo has called for an independent investigation, although he tried at first to choose who would oversee the process himself. He was forced to relent when he got blasted by New York Attorney General Tish James, who will appoint an investigator with subpoena power. We’ll see what shakes out of the tree when that person starts to rustle branches.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

Madison Cawthorne, the upstart mega-Trumpist Congressman who has positioned himself as the face of the new GOP, is also showing his predictable colors. The Washington Post reported on a wave of allegations against Cawthorne both of sexual assault and of repreatedly lying about his background in campaign advertisements.

Donald Trump won the straw poll for 2024 GOP nomination at CPAC, the annual conservative convention, although only 68 percent of respondents said they actually wanted him to run again. In other words, he’s the future of the party, but not everyone is happy about that.

The Supreme Court will hear its most important voting rights case in almost a decade, as it considers a case which could strip a provision from the Voting Rights Act that lets civil rights attorneys sue over potential discrimination in voting laws, which state GOP organzations have been racing to gut for months.

And finally, Joe Biden celebrated his inaugural airstrike of a foreign country we’re technically not at war with on Friday, striking a base controlled by Iranian-backed militia members in Syria. His administration claimed that the strike was “defensive” in nature, whatever that means.

MAR 1, 2021 - AM QUICKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Jack Crosbie

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn