H E A D L I N E S : 2 0 2 2 & 2 0 2 3

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salon

"The fundraising has gone in the toilet": The GOP primary is wiping out the RNC's coffers​

Tatyana Tandanpolie / Thu, August 31, 2023 at 11:55 AM EDT

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has a fundraising problem.
Amid a range of heavy expenditures, as it gears up for the 2024 run at reclaiming the White House and Senate, RNC fundraising has significantly slumped, leaving the national party with less than $12 million at its disposal. ...
"The fundraising has gone in the toilet," the RNC member told the Beast. "They're not raising money."

https://news.yahoo.com/fundraising-gone-toilet-gop-primary-155527720.html

That's half the story.
But if the $money isn't going to the RNC, where instead? Not the Democrats. The stock market?

 

[Shiftless2]

Inside the “Private and Confidential” Conservative Group That Promises to “Crush Liberal Dominance”

Leonard Leo, a key architect of the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority, is now the chairman of Teneo Network, a group that aims to influence all aspects of American politics and culture.​

by Andy Kroll and Andrea Bernstein, ProPublica, and Nick Surgey, Documented

A few months ago, Leonard Leo laid out his next audacious project.

Ever since the longtime Federalist Society leader helped create a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court, and then received more than a billion dollars from a wealthy Chicago business owner to disburse to conservative causes, Leo’s next moves had been the subject of speculation.

Now, Leo declared in a slick but private video to potential donors, he planned to “crush liberal dominance” across American life. The country was plagued by “woke-ism” in corporations and education, “one-sided journalism” and “entertainment that’s really corrupting our youth,” said Leo amid snippets of cheery music and shots of sunsets and American flags.

Sitting tucked into a couch, with wire-rimmed glasses and hair gone to gray, Leo conveyed his inspiration and intentions: “I just said to myself, ‘Well, if this can work for law, why can’t it work for lots of other areas of American culture and American life where things are really messed up right now?’”

Leo revealed his latest battle plan in the previously unreported video for the Teneo Network, a little-known group he called “a tremendously important resource for the future of our country.”

Teneo is building what Leo called in the video “networks of conservatives that can roll back” liberal influence in Wall Street and Silicon Valley, among authors and academics, with pro athletes and Hollywood producers. A Federalist Society for everything.

Despite its linchpin role in Leo’s plans, Teneo (which is not the similarly named consulting firm associated with former officials in the Bill Clinton administration) has kept a low public profile. Its one-page website includes bland slogans — “Timeless ideas. Fresh approach” — and scant details. Its co-founder described Teneo as “private and confidential” in one presentation, and the group doesn’t ...

Inside the “Private and Confidential” Conservative Group That Promises to “Crush Liberal Dominance”

Leonard Leo, a key architect of the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority, is now the chairman of Teneo Network, a group that aims to influence all aspects of American politics and culture.

www.propublica.org

 

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TODAY
230,037 views Sep 3, 2023 #BurningMan #Festival #Nevada
One person has died and some 70,000 people are stranded in the remote Black Rock Desert of Nevada where the annual Burning Man festival was set to take place before rain turned the retreat into a mud pit. Festival organizers say their main focus is safety and getting people out.

Death probe underway, as 70K trapped at Burning Man​

Attendees were told to shelter in place and conserve food, water and fuel after a rainstorm swamped the area, forcing officials to halt any entering or leaving of the festival.
Driving ban remains in effect https://news.yahoo.com/

 

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• 
  
• US·Fox News
  

  Florida man arrested by Coast Guard for trying to cross Atlantic in human-sized hamster wheel​

  A Florida man attempting to 'run' across ocean in a human-sized hamster wheel was arrested after threatening U.S. Coast Guard officials.
  

 

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WHAT IS THE NATIONAL DEBT TODAY?​

$32,935,600,378,286
That's $98,473 for every single person in America.

What Is the U.S. National Debt Right Now — and Why Is It So High?

See the latest numbers and learn more about the causes of our high and rising national debt.

www.pgpf.org

NASA finally admits what everyone already knows: SLS is unaffordable​

"At current cost levels the SLS program is unsustainable. Eric Berger​

Enlarge / The Space Launch System rocket is seen rolling toward its launch pad, LC-39B, in Florida. Trevor Mahlmann

In a new report, the federal department charged with analyzing how efficiently US taxpayer dollars are spent, the Government Accountability Office, says NASA lacks transparency on the true costs of its Space Launch System rocket program.
Published on Thursday, the new report (see .pdf) examines the billions of dollars spent by NASA on the development of the massive rocket, which made a successful debut launch in late 2022 with the Artemis I mission. Surprisingly, as part of the reporting process, NASA officials admitted the rocket was too expensive to support its lunar exploration efforts as part of the Artemis program.
"Senior NASA officials told GAO that at current cost levels, the SLS program is unaffordable," the new report states.

NASA finally admits what everyone already knows: SLS is unaffordable

"At current cost levels the SLS program is unsustainable."

arstechnica.com

Coincidence?
Are NASA space adventures even NASA admits we can't afford legitimately a higher priority than safe drinking water for citizens including those in Flint, Michigan?

 

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WHAT IS THE NATIONAL DEBT TODAY?​

$32,935,600,378,286
That's $98,473 for every single person in America.

That number grossly understates reality. It does not include the funding shortfall for Social Security or Medicare (by definition that is not counted as part of the national debt). And that funding shortfall is somewhere north of $140 Trillion (yes that's with a "T").

Social Security and Medicare: Trying to Tackle Two 800-pound Gorillas

While many people worry about the billions of dollars spent bailing out banks, auto makers and other sectors, shortfalls in Medicare and Social Security are what could ultimately sink efforts to revive the U.S. economy. As 78 million baby boomers begin to retire, funding for the government's two...

knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu

That article is some years old (it dates to 2009) but nothing has been done to rectify the situation - all the politicians have done is kick the can down the road (understandable since Social Security is the "third rail" of American politics).

BTW, it doesn't end there since there are a number of federal and state government pensions that are underfunded and those funding shortfalls aren't included in the definition of the National Debt either.

Which American municipalities have filed for bankruptcy?

Across the country, from Vallejo, Calif. to Detroit, Mich., some cities that cannot repay their debts have taken the extreme step of declaring municipal bankruptcy.

www.pbs.org

 

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"That number grossly understates reality." S2 #346

I got a look at it hours apart. I think the later number was lower than the earlier.
Brilig is off-line.
This site lists a debt total, but the screen looks congested.
Wouldn't surprise me if there's a significant black budget the tax $payer is also on the hook for.

"BTW, it doesn't end there since there are a number of federal and state government pensions that are underfunded and those funding shortfalls aren't included in the definition of the National Debt either." S2 #346

Buuuummmerr !

So the assumption is private debt becomes public debt with bankruptcy or other illiquidity?

Anyway back to post #345:
Isn't an austerity budget the fiscally responsible, conservative thing to do?
But we're shoveling $dollars at NASA by the $Billion. $yikes
$25+ $Billion in 2022

"We don't have this [budget deficit / federal debt] problem because we tax too little in this country. We have it because we spend too much." Sen. McConnell (R-KY) CBS-TV Face The Nation 13/10/20

I'll meet you half way on it Mitch.
Every $dollar of federal spending should be examined for termination for austerity reason. If for example sir that means ending the U.S. Drug War, the war against Americans, will you consent to, politically support and promote such conservative policy?

Need help? Pass a law that congress can't spend more than previous year's revenues (excluding budget windfalls like selling Fort Ord).
The debt's too high Mitch. Fix it quick.

FY23 Budget Outcomes: NASA

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate received a 2% budget increase in fiscal year 2023, a small boost relative to other science agencies, and budgets are under strain across its portfolio.

ww2.aip.org

 

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I got a look at it hours apart. I think the later number was lower than the earlier.

It's not as simple as you might think - first thing you have to take into account is what time horizon the projections are using. Some use a 75 year horizon, others use an unlimited one. There's a big difference (the 75 year one seriously understates reality).

 

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It's not as simple as you might think - first thing you have to take into account is what time horizon the projections are using. Some use a 75 year horizon, others use an unlimited one. There's a big difference (the 75 year one seriously understates reality).

I'd be astounded if there were only one formula to quantify it. I imagine there are dozens. BUT !!
I would hope for plausibility and consistency that such a source would pick one, and stick to it, rather than switch formulae without explanation or notification.
In this case I suspect they use an algorithm that approximates, but it's not a particularly precise approximation. BUT !!
The digits of interest are the tens of trillions. The thousands and millions are window dressing.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< H E A D L I N E S : 2 0 2 2 & 2 0 2 3 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The white house situation room complex has just received a $50 $Million upgrade.

As part of the renovation project, the White House Situation Room can now detect if someone has brought a mobile device into the space, a White House official told CNN.
Under the previous administration, White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman drew headlines when she brought her phone into the secure complex, where she recorded then-White House chief of staff John Kelly firing her, a clear violation of White House policy.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/08/politics/situation-room-makeover-white-house/index.html

There are a few pics at the link.

 

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Leprosy may now be endemic in Florida, report suggests​

Reported cases of leprosy have more than doubled in southeastern states over the last decade, according to a new research paper.
Aug. 1, 2023 / By Doha Madani
Cases of leprosy have increased in Florida and the southeastern United States over the last decade, according to a new report.
Leprosy, officially called Hansen’s disease, is a rare type of bacterial infection that attacks the nerves and can cause swelling under the skin. The new research paper, published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, found that reported cases doubled in the Southeast over the last 10 years.

Central Florida in particular has seen a disproportionate share of cases, which indicates it might be an endemic location for the disease, meaning leprosy has a consistent presence in the region's population rather than popping up in the form of one-off outbreaks.
"According to the National Hansen’s Disease Program, 159 new cases were reported in the United States in 2020; Florida was among the top reporting states," the report said. "Central Florida, in particular, accounted for 81% of cases reported in Florida and almost one fifth of nationally reported cases."
Although leprosy can spread person to person, it's not known precisely how. The disease does not spread through casual physical contact like shaking hands or sitting next to a person on the bus, according to the CDC. Rather, scientists' current thinking is that the bacteria gets transmitted via droplets from an infected person's coughs or sneezes during a prolonged period of close contact.
Contact with armadillos, some of which are naturally infected by leprosy-causing bacteria, may be another way people can get sick.
The recent report described a particular leprosy case in Florida: a 54-year-old landscaper who had no known contact with infected animals or people and had not traveled to any countries where the disease is more commonly found.

Leprosy may now be endemic in Florida, report suggests

Reported cases of leprosy have more than doubled in southeastern states over the last decade, according to a new research paper.

www.nbcnews.com

 

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World·Fox News

Putin criticizes Trump arrest, trial: 'Shows the rottenness of the American system'​

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the arrest and trial of former President Trump "a politically motivated persecution."

https://news.yahoo.com/putin-criticizes-trump-arrest-trial-125701413.html

How fortunate for Russia and her neighbors that Putin's Russia is substantially less "rotten".

 

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And how fortunate for the US that Putin supports Trump

 

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"And how fortunate for the US that Putin supports Trump" S2 #352

We are judged by the company we keep. Here's a pic from this evening's news, Wednesday 13 September 2023:



"Oh woe is everything!" Grace06

note #352
It's widely acknowledged that Putin favored Trump (R) over Hillary (D) in 2016.
Many with expert knowledge of the detail believe Putin / Russia supported Trump against Hillary.
Some believe Putin / Russian support for Trump shifted the outcome of the election, from Hillary to Trump. Not sure. BUT !!
What we do know is, Trump lost the vote, and won the election.

 

[Shiftless2]

Many with expert knowledge of the detail believe Putin / Russia supported Trump against Hillary.

Mueller spent almost 200 pages describing “numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump Campaign.” He found that “a Russian entity carried out a social media campaign that favored presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaged presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.” He also found that “a Russian intelligence service conducted computer-intrusion operations” against the Clinton campaign and then released stolen documents.

These 11 Mueller Report Myths Just Won’t Die

Here's why they're wrong

time.com

 

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S2 #354
mot juste
BUT:
While Mueller might not have provided enough evidence for a successful prosecution, Mueller did succeed in verifying Trump's talent / skill with such lawlessness. It is a defining parameter of Trump behavior in both private & public sectors.

 

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Marjorie Taylor Greene takes swipe at Freedom Caucus after far-right group kicked her out Ariana Baio​

Fri, September 15, 2023 at 11:20 AM EDT
Just back from summer recess, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene indicated she is more than happy to be getting to work – without the camaraderie of her colleagues in the far-right Freedom Caucus she was once a member of.
Speaking with reporters outside of the Capitol on Thursday, Ms Greene shared her thoughts on the appropriations process regarding a defence bill that she voted against.
While doing so, the Georgia congresswoman notably expressed some light frustrations with some of her fellow ultraconservative members of Congress who did not participate in a closed-door conference despite voting against the spending bill.
“I’m not a member of the burn-it-all-down caucus anymore,” Ms Greene, of Georgia, said, according to The Hill. “I’m a greatly, very happily, a free agent and I want to do my job here.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene takes swipe at Freedom Caucus after far-right group kicked her out

Georgia congresswoman called the House Freedom Caucus the ‘burn-it-all-down caucus’ just two months after being voted out

news.yahoo.com

Think the Republicans will shut the government down this time?

 

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Turning to Maui a lawsuit filed Monday by a Hawaii Electric Industries shareholder accuses the board of directors of not spending enough on wildfire prevention measures on Maui in the three years before the Aug. 8 fires killed at least 115 people and leveled Lahaina.

Regulators, shareholders kick up the heat on Hawaiian Electric's role in Lahaina fire, looming government shutdown shouldn't hamper recovery efforts, Maui Invitational may move to Oahu, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Curated daily state and local government and political news from all the Hawaiian Islands. Occasional Hawaii state and local political commentary.

www.allhawaiinews.com

 

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Canada caught fire this Summer. From central New York State, being downwind of the wildfire smoke was a challenge. I don't blame Hawaii Electric Industries for that.
It's not merely finger-pointing here. The accusatory scramble is about arranging the funding of the recovery. But it's a mistake to view this piecemeal.

Clearly we need more sensible wild space management. I'm not sure either Biden, or Trump has a plan for that. So vote DeSantis?

!

 

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I know of no other sovereign nation that inflicts upon itself a federal "debt limit".
This U.S. federal policy may have been implemented with the best of intentions, to restrain runaway U.S. federal spending, deficit & debt. $32,988,632,843,664.10

Congressional barbarians play chicken with this, deliberately creating a recurring crisis entirely of congress' own making.

FOX News Sunday briefly discussed the next, fast approaching U.S. debt limit / crisis:

"Lawmakers Prepare For Shutdown Blame Game" The Hill headline 23/09/10

"Carl, this never seems to go well for anyone but it does generally seem that Republicans get blamed for the shutdowns." FNS Host Shannon Bream 23/09/17

"Well, generally because Republicans are responsible for the shutdowns. [unintelligible] ... so yeah, there's a reason why they get blamed." Former Bush White House Adviser Karl Rove FNS 23/09/17

note:
President Biden has stated publicly on camera open mic he thinks there will not be a shutdown.

- we'll see -

 

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s #359
from the FOX official transcript:

"... lawmakers prepare for shutdown blame game. Karl, this never seems to go well for anyone. But it does generally seem that Republicans get blamed for these shutdowns?" Bream

KARL ROVE, FORMER BUSH WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Well, generally because Republicans are responsible for the shutdown. They seem to eagerly want it.

BREAM: There you go.

ROVE: So, yeah, there's a reason why they get blamed. And look, the American people demand that their government try and run itself in an appropriate fashion. And the fact that the biggest financial and business enterprise in the world, the U.S. government can out pass a budget in time and then ends up shutting itself down over things that are on the margin. I mean, we're talking about the difference between this and that. And the Republicans are going to shoot themselves in the foot in the run-up to the 2024 election if they continue to think that shutdowns are a great way to put themselves in front of the American people.

https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/fox-news-sunday-september-17-2023

I suspect neither Speaker McCarthy nor Minority Leader McConnell would want an authoritative Republican to confess this so definitively on broadcast television. BUT ... too bad. Way to pull the rug out from under, Karl.
Whether this Rove disclosure will weaken the Republican's bargaining position, too early to tell. It might.