Bits n’ pieces from east, west and beyond
East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact.
A recent sampling:
After Joe Biden’s poor showing at the presidential debate last week with Donald Trump, Democrats wrestled with whether he should make room for a younger candidate, various media reported. Speculation was that Biden had a debilitating reaction to a cold medication, since his cognitive abilities quickly returned.
His delivery was at definite odds with his vitality and sharp wit at his State of the Union speech on March 7 and at recent events. His family and high-profile Dems have stood behind Biden staying in the race; he now needs to double down on proving he’s fit for the job.
Media fact-checking for the debate included: Trump said he’s been rated by historians as the best president, when their rating was “worst.” Trump said the U.S. had the greatest economy ever under him, but, carving out Covid, Trump’s GDP was 2.49%; under Biden’s it’s been 3.4%. In 1950 and 1951 it was 8% and above. And, Trump created twice as much debt ($8.4 trillion) as compared to Biden.
- Biden falsely claimed he’s the only president, this century, to not have troops dying anywhere in the world, but CBS said at least 16 service members have died overseas.
- Illegal border crossings: Biden said the numbers are now lower than when Trump was in office: since June there’s been a 47% drop to 2,000 daily, whereas under Trump, in 2019 the average was 4,300 illegal crossings daily. But that dropped to 2,000 during the pandemic. Since the Biden change is recent, CBS called Biden’s statement “partially true.”
Regarding Trump’s claim that migrants are “killing our citizens” at a never-before seen level, stats show they commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans.
- Trump said Biden created the “largest deficit” in U.S. history, but U.S. Treasury figures show it was the largest under Trump in over two decade -- but has declined under Biden by $1.7 trillion.
- Trump falsely claimed “everyone” wanted Roe vs. Wade gone, and that Dems want abortions up to and after birth (infanticide is illegal in every state). Not a lie, from Trump: “I put three Supreme Court justices on the court and they killed Roe.”
- Trump falsely claimed he offered National Guard to help on Jan. 6, but Nancy Pelosi refused.
- And Trump said his administration had the “best environmental numbers.” The Guardian compiled 75 ways Trump made the environment dirtier and added to climate change.
- Trump disagreed with Biden’s role in the Israel-Gaza conflict, saying, “Let Israel finish the job.”
The Supreme Court’s recent volley of decisions, according to numerous media, included:
- Approving gerrymandering of black voters in South Carolina, with the conservative majority saying it was okay because the gerrymandering was “politically motivated” and not “racially motivated.” (Voting rights advocates had sued after voting district lines were redrawn to dilute the Black vote.)
- No “established legal blueprint” for dealing with an assault on the nation’s democracy led justices, 6-3, to declare that prosecutors misused an obstruction law when charging Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters. The ruling could make it more difficult to prosecute Trump for his role.
- A ruling Friday appears to shift decision-making from agency expertise to the judiciary, compromising federal oversight -- which appears poised to pleasure corporations. The right-leaning ruling could have a vast impact, including on consumer protection, health care, banking, and labor rights.
Environmental organizations pointed out that the impact on climate change efforts by non-scientist justices could be grave. Example: in Justice Neil Gorsuch’s opinion on the case he confused nitrous oxide, aka laughing gas, with nitrogen oxide, a smog component.
- And the most significant ruling: regarding Donald Trump vs. the U.S., in a 6-3 vote the right-leaning justices said Donald Trump cannot be prosecuted for any actions that were taken within his constitutional powers as president -- but he can be prosecuted for private acts.
Three of the deciding justices were appointed by Trump, and two, whose impartiality had been questioned and were encouraged to recuse themselves, chose to not step aside from the decision. Condemnation of the ruling was swift: Justice Sonia Sotomayor: “In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law…With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”
Former Attorney General Eric Holder stated democracy has been “gravely wounded” by the ruling, and allowing a president to violate criminal law is “absurd and dangerous. There is no basis in the Constitution for this court-constructed monstrosity.”
Common Cause (an organization working to ensure voting access): “The Supreme Court has effectively ignored a central pillar of the American system of justice, that no one in this country is above the law.”
Blast from the past: In the 2011 book Willful Blindess, Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril, the author advises “questioning the questionable.” To that end: why was Biden rendered unfit for a brief time span -- on-air -- then regained his cognitive abilities? Did he even use a cold remedy? Was there a Putin-inspired substance in his immediate environment that compromised his health and performance?