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So Much Good News! - Wednesday Good News Roundup [1]
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Date: 2022-12-07
First, though, you know I have to play my favorite Ray Charles song today:
This lady gets her wish:
The wish:
x It would be divine if @Trump Org is found guilty the same day @January6thCmte makes CRIMINAL referrals to @TheJusticeDept and Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony takes place for #Jan6thInsurrection Responders/Heroes
https://t.co/lSlCje1GFS — Mary Pat Flynn (@MaryPatFlynn1) December 6, 2022
Et Voilà!
x NY jury CONVICTS Trump Organization on all counts. Two important takeaways: 1. this likely spells the end of Trump Org, and 2. this increases the odds of a NY prosecution of Trump himself, given that the prosecution argued “Evidence shows Trump
'explicitly' OK'd tax fraud.” — Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) December 6, 2022
Ooh! Et voilà aussi!
x J6 Committee To Make Criminal Referrals To The DOJ -
https://t.co/2eFD2cUn5v pic.twitter.com/cRxZb8OSIR — JoeMyGod (@JoeMyGod) December 6, 2022
😁!
x VIDEO: Recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal refused to shake hands with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy during an award ceremony, honoring the heroism of U.S. Capitol Police during the January 6, 2021 attack. pic.twitter.com/GRoBWrIc2p — Travis Akers (@travisakers) December 6, 2022
x Beautiful music and fitting tribute to our Capitol Hill police, the heroes of January 6th. pic.twitter.com/iFdpmmtkYf — Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) December 6, 2022
🎶 Wishes Do Come True! 🎶
💙🙏🏼 Thanks, Biden Administration! 🙏🏼💙
Apple announces it will build chips in the US again, thanks to Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.
x CEO Tim Cook said Apple will build chips in the US for the first time in nearly a decade
https://t.co/NmP9cuQfYx — Bloomberg (@business) December 6, 2022
Democrats deliver
x My top priority before Congress leaves town:
Extending the expanded Child Tax Credit before Republicans take over.
It should never have expired. Millions upon millions of kids were lifted out of poverty.
We need to get this done. We have no time to waste. — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 6, 2022
x Illinois Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley introduced the Big Cat Public Safety Act in the House.
https://t.co/gqJNSKGdni — Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) December 7, 2022
More judges!
x BREAKING: The Senate just confirmed Kelley Hodge to the federal bench in Pennsylvania.
Hodge previously served as a public defender and will be the third Black woman to ever serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of PA. An important moment for the judiciary. pic.twitter.com/ALVvmFTiwF — The Leadership Conference (@civilrightsorg) December 6, 2022
Human Rights!
x This move will protect thousands of Haitians from being forced to return to unsafe conditions. It was also a key ask from our CPC Executive Action Agenda.
Thank you, @SecMayorkas, for heeding the call of communities, activists, and progressives in Congress.
https://t.co/xBSk6WHVcb — Progressive Caucus (@USProgressives) December 6, 2022
🎶 Music for Dems in Array 🎶
Republicans in Disarray
'You are their slave': Marjorie Taylor Greene facing far-right revolt after disavowing Nick Fuentes, Tom Bogging, Raw Story, December 6, 2022.
According to a report from Vice's Tess Owen, the romance between Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and followers of notorious Holocaust-denier Nick Fuentes is irreparably on the rocks after she put some distance between herself and him following his dinner with Donald Trump.✂️ As Vice's Owen reported, Fuentes told his supporters, "She’s just weak. She goes and says something edgy to get attention, and then when the pressure comes, she buckles. You know, she’s gonna be a MAGA-mom and QAnon and all that, and then the second Kevin McCarthy reprimands her and she loses her committee, she goes and apologizes.”✂️ According to fringe conservative Laura Loomer, "MTG is no longer an ally to America First. She may have claimed to be so that she could climb the political ladder, but she has shown she is all talk and zero action, unless of course the action is selling t-shirts and wine glasses.”
By the way, may I just observe that these young conservatives seem to be utterly lost to reason? wow
Fox host points at TFG for Walker loss
'The damage has been done': Fox Business host refuses to let Trump walk back threat to Constitution, David Edwards, Raw Story, December 6, 2022.
Fox Business host Stuart Varney used his monologue on Tuesday to lash out at former President Donald Trump's desire to terminate parts of the U.S. Constitution over his 2020 presidential election loss. ✂️ "He was talking about terminating parts of the Constitution," the host noted. "That plays right into the Democrats' hands. He's trying to walk it back today. But the damage has been done." Varney suggested that the remarks could contribute to the defeat of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker in Georgia.✂️ Varney warned that the GOP, not the Constitution, faced termination because of Trump.
⚖️ Legal News ⚖️
TFG’s “Organization” convicted on all 17 counts
Trump Organization convicted in N.Y. criminal tax fraud trial, Shayna Jacobs, Washington Post, December 6, 2022.
The real estate, hospitality and golf resort operation headquartered at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue faces the possibility of a $1.6 million fine at a sentencing scheduled Jan. 13. New York Supreme Court jurors began deliberations Monday. The company was charged with scheme to defraud, conspiracy, criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records. Trump has not been charged with wrongdoing. The verdicts Tuesday came amid other troubles for the Trump family business, which was sued by New York Attorney General Letitia James in September in a civil case that accuses Trump, three of his adult children and longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg of manipulating the valuations of their properties to get better terms on loans and insurance policies, and to get tax breaks. The suit seeks to recover more than $250 million and has the potential to cripple the Trump Organization’s ability to continue doing business in the state.
Special Counsel Jack Smith means business
(Link is for a gift article — it’s a good long explainer):
Justice Dept. subpoenas Ariz., Mich., Wis. officials in Trump Jan. 6 probe, Amy Gardner, Isaac Stanley-Becker, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Patrick Marley, Washington Post, December 6, 2022.
Special counsel Jack Smith has sent grand jury subpoenas to local officials in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin — three states that were central to President Donald Trump’s failed plan to stay in power following the 2020 election — seeking any and all communications with Trump, his campaign, and a long list of aides and allies. The requests for records arrived in Dane County, Wis.; Maricopa County, Ariz.; and Wayne County, Mich., late last week, and in Milwaukee on Monday, officials said. They are among the first known subpoenas issued since Smith was named last month by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee Trump-related aspects of the investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, as well as the criminal probe of Trump’s possible mishandling of classified documents at his Florida home and private club. The subpoenas, at least three of which are dated Nov. 22, indicate that the Justice Department is extending its examination of the circumstances leading up to the Capitol attack to include local election officials and their potential interactions with the former president and his representatives related to the 2020 election.
L’il Marco Connected to Arrested Republican ex-Rep
Uh-oh, Rubio
Rubio says he had no idea indicted rep he negotiated with was working for Venezuelan dictator, Matthew Chapman, Raw Story, December 6, 2022.
"Sen. Marco Rubio acknowledged on Tuesday through a spokesperson that he met with indicted ex-Rep. David Rivera to discuss a potential deal to normalize relations between the United States and Venezuela — but didn’t know that his one-time friend and long-time political ally was working on behalf of strongman Nicolás Maduro," reported Gary Fineout. "Rubio’s dealings with Rivera emerged Monday night after federal authorities arrested and charged the former Miami lawmaker with eight criminal counts, including money laundering, conspiracy and failing to register as a foreign agent for work allegedly connected to the Maduro regime." "An unsealed indictment states that Rivera and an unnamed U.S. senator from Florida met in July 2017 in Washington to discuss a possible deal with Maduro in which the Venezuelan leader would agree to 'hold free and fair elections in Venezuela,'" said the report. "The senator was not identified by name, but Rivera and Rubio have known each other for years and once owned a house together in Tallahassee." Rubio, who was recently re-elected overwhelmingly in the 2022 midterm, has spent his career publicly condemning the Venezuelan regime, which is known for political repression and the widespread starvation of its people. Many refugees of the communist South American state have settled in South Florida.
Ex-Miami US Rep. David Rivera arrested in Venezuela probe, AP. December 5, 2022.
David Rivera, a Republican who has been marred by scandals stretching back to his days in Congress from 2011 to 2013, was arrested in Atlanta, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami. The eight-count indictment alleges Rivera at the start of the Trump administration was part of a conspiracy to lobby on behalf of Venezuela to lower tensions with the U.S., resolve a legal dispute with a U.S. oil company and end U.S. sanctions against the South American nation — all without registering as a foreign agent. ✂️ While none of the U.S. officials are named, evidence in a parallel lawsuit brought against Rivera show that while working for Venezuela the former congressman was in contact with Sen. Marco Rubio, a longtime friend who helped drive the Trump administration’s hardline policy against Maduro.
x JUST IN: Florida appeals court rejects Michael Flynn effort to block a subpoena from the Fulton County grand jury.
https://t.co/GkFynn2T5k pic.twitter.com/VkiMAO0rXB — Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) December 6, 2022
🍃 Environmental News 🍃
Commercial Vehicles going EV!
This is how we will see the dominoes really start to fall:
2024 Mercedes eSprinter Efficiency Test: Now This Works, Tom Moloughney, Inside EVs, December 6, 2022.
However, that's about the change. Not only will the second-generation eSprinter be available in the US and Canada, but we're also actually getting it first. That's right, the new eSprinter will be available in North America before it's even available in Mercedes's home country, Germany. The new eSprinter will have three battery options available globally. However, initially, only the largest battery option will be available in North America, which is the pack that was used in this efficiency test.✂️ The eSprinter will be produced in Düsseldorf and Ludwigshafen, Germany, as well as in Mercedes's Charleston, South Carolina plant starting in the second half of 2023. We'll continue to monitor eSprinter updates from Mercedes as they are released. With this much driving range, the new eSprinter will work for many business applications, and suspect it will be in high demand when it arrives in Mercedes showrooms next year. x Commercial vehicles are starting their electrification later than personal vehicles. But they'll switch faster.
1. The cost savings are greater (more miles per day = bigger savings).
2. Their owners are bottom line driven.
3. Each destroys more oil demand than a personal car.
https://t.co/ztMPVK9eLk — Ramez Naam (@ramez) December 7, 2022
Free public transport may encourage less car usage
x Wow: DC plans to make all buses operating within the District FREE to all riders, starting in summer 2023. We'll be the first major U.S. city to have free bus service. Also adding overnight service for 12 bus lines and giving all DC residents a $100 monthly subsidy for bus/metro. pic.twitter.com/nfwjvIhJnY — Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) December 1, 2022
🐩💙 CG’s Picks 💙🐩
Hello Everybody! It’s me, Curlygirl! Today I have some kinda unusual things to show you!
First, researchers learn that lego toys and PETS are good for autistic people! YAY!
x The Centre is delighted to launch its latest Research Bulletin, this time on the topic of Lego and Pets.
Link:
https://t.co/ypMQZlA9TW#understandingautism #learngrowdevelop pic.twitter.com/k9pq0gFEDy — Centre for Autism (@autismcentre) November 30, 2022
Second, Mama thought this was funny, but I am a little bit confused — isn’t this man being rude to say he don’t care?
x Hi @NoContextBrits, we investigated your below query however, the person in question has made it very clear that he don't care
https://t.co/qzLLbrNJwL — National Rail (@nationalrailenq) December 1, 2022
Have you ever wondered why T-Rex the dinosaur’s arms were so short and puny for its overall gigantic size? Well, not just you and me are wondering! Even SCIENTISTS are wondering! And here in Chicago we have this big T-Rex named Sue and they are going to study one of her arms (well her arm bones, actually) to try to figure the mystery out. Isn’t that cool? I think so!
Field Museum’s Sue lends a hand to study of T. rex’s short arms, Nicky Andrews, Chicago Sun Times, December 6, 2022.
Sue’s right arm was removed Monday to be CT scanned at the University of Chicago and used to create computer models that will give scientists a better understanding of her muscles and joints. Jingmai O’Connor, a Field Museum paleontologist and leader of the project, hopes the tests will show how the arms were used and why they were needed. “There’s all these funny jokes about how a T. rex can’t clap its hands, and it can’t play drums or do pushups, but jokes aside, the proportions of these forelimbs are very strange,” O’Connor said. Sue has the most complete T. rex arms, and there are only a few others in the world, according to O’Connor. Due to the lack of arms, the Field Museum will be working with scientists from the University of Alberta who have a different species of Tyrannosaur forelimb to compare with Sue’s.
We love this music around here. My favorite part is when Snoopy is skating!
Jazzy ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ swings on after 57 years, David Bauder, AP, December 5, 2022.
“Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas without hearing that album in the background,” said Derrick Bang, author of the biography “Vince Guaraldi at the Piano.” The special itself was a bit of an oddity: a cartoon story of the meaning of Christmas soundtracked by a sophisticated, mostly instrumental jazz trio of piano, bass and drum. Yet it worked. Guaraldi’s cascading piano evokes both motion and lightly falling snow on “Skating.” The driving melody of “Linus and Lucy” is the eternal backdrop to a swinging party. “O Tannenbaum” shifts from the traditional carol to a bass-driven groove. A children’s choir adds charm to “Christmas Time is Here.”
That’s all I have today. Mama had her sister visiting from Canada this past week and Aunty just left this afternoon, and I need Mama to help me find neat stories on the computer, you know! So, this is all we get this week, sorry! Hope you like it anyway! Bye for now! Luv, CG 💙🐾
🎶 Skating Music! 🎶
⚡️ Lightning RoundUp ⚡️
⚡️ Yer Wonkette: No-Fun Senate Republicans Won't Impeach Biden, Probably Don't Even Want To See Hunter's Dick, Evan Hurst, Wonkette, December 6, 2022.
⚡️ High early turnout in Georgia Senate runoff: More evidence that saving democracy motivates voters, Amanda Marcotte, Salon, December 6, 2022.
⚡️ Early medieval female burial site is ‘most significant ever discovered’ in UK, Amelia Hill, the Guardian, December 6, 2022.
⚡️ Curse Words Around the World Have Something in Common (We Swear), Elizabeth Preston, New York Times, December 6, 2022.
⚡️ The gene that explains consciousness, Matthew Rozsa, Salon, December 6, 2022.
⚡️ Good and Evil: It really is that simple, Chauncey DeVega, Salon, December 5, 2022.
💗 How Can You Help Build Our Democracy Back Better? 💗
That’s it from me and CG for another week. I wish everyone a restful next few days. You’ve earned it! Now we can finally call the 2022 elections OVER! HOORAY!
Take care, Everyone — and here is some December music for you!
[END]
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