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:
The Lever says 60% of Americans lived paycheck-to-paycheck last year, but a report from Equilar showed executive compensation packages rose 11%; employee pay declined. Sen. Bernie Sanders has reintroduced legislation that would raise taxes on companies whose top executives are paid 50 times more than their average worker.
The 2024 report by the Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds show both are strong and solvent for now. But that depends on this year’s election results: The Alliance for Retired Americans points out that the current president wants to strengthen both programs with laws that make the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share, while Republicans want to cut $1.5 trillion from Social Security.
Without an influx from the wealthy, in 2033 SS payments will be at 79% instead of 100%.
Last year was the hottest ever recorded. The Banking on Climate Chaos report, endorsed by 589 organizations and 69 countries, says in 2023 Wall Street funded $347 billion for new fossil fuel projects.
Fossil fuel firms, via “investment treaties,” are forcing governments to compensate them for lost revenue as governments transition to a low-carb global economy, a top U.N. official has warned.
Over 30% of the world’s electricity now comes from renewable energy: ecowatch.com.
Following Trump’s offer to aid fossil fuel executives by dismantling climate regulations in exchange for $1 billion in contributions, various media said House Dems are launching an investigation, as is CREW -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Of note: in the 1920’s the Secretary of the Interior was imprisoned for accepting a $385,000 fossil fuel bribe; that Teapot Dome scandal, named after a Wyoming drilling location, became synonymous for political corruption.
Scientists told The Guardian a reintroduced herd of 170 bison in Romania is helping store carbon, equal to 43,000 fewer U.S. cars on roads. Bison action helps capture and store CO 2 in the soil.
After a bi-partisan Congressional letter urged USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to do so, he announced he will pause USPS austerity reorganization efforts across the U.S. for the rest of the year. According to Sen. Susan Collins’ website, Congress made it clear they want to review DeJoy’s plans to ensure no harm to mail delivery services. She says the pause should be permanent, not temporary.
Former Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen testified recently in Trump’s trial regarding 34 counts of falsifying business records, various media reported. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to tax fraud and lying to Congress about Trump’s Russian real estate plans.
He told jurors Trump directly authorized him to pay $130,000 to stop a campaign-damaging sex story. He also admitted to stealing from Trump and to lying under oath in the past on Trump’s behalf. Closing arguments are likely on May 28.
One day after posting an ad on Trump’s Truth Social referring to “creation of a unified Reich” if he’s elected, there were second thoughts about the campaign’s Hitler-tainted statement. It was removed.
Trump’s deputy press secretary during his administration commented that “Trump’s continued use of Nazi rhetoric is un-American and despicable. Yet too many Americans are brushing off the glaring red flags about what could happen if he returns to the White House.” The Guardian wrote that at a Saturday NRA meeting Trump said he could eliminate presidents’ term limits; in the past he said he would not.
Deception failed: Last week Bits reported that two Bob Fergusons filed to run against Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, trying to favor the Republican candidate. After being notified of the illegality of their action, the two non-AG candidates dropped out of the primary race.
A far right Republican who won a Texas school board seat devoted herself to examining school curriculum for “rampant” leftist indoctrination. ProPublica said Courtney Gore found no critical race theory, sexualization of children or dangerous “social-emotional” teachings. Gore was stunned to find that fellow conservatives were indifferent since “it didn’t fit the narrative they were trying to push.”
The Senate Judiciary Chair Sen. Dick Durbin says Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito should recuse himself from any 2020 election case, following The New York Times report of an upside down U.S. flag flown at Alito’s home days before Joe Biden was sworn in. Alito blamed his wife for flying the flag. The symbol was used by Trump supporters claiming the presidential election was stolen.
One case Alito may hear is that of Trump having criminal immunity for interfering with 2020 election results. On-line comments urged impeachment of Alito, as well as recusal; it was pointed out that the Supreme Court’s Code of Conduct calls for recusal to “avoid the appearance of impropriety.”Newsweek said impeachment requires a House majority vote, followed by a Senate trial.
Blast from the past: According to the U.S. Constitution, Justices “shall hold their offices during good behavior.”
The last time a Justice was impeached was in 1805. Associate Justice Samuel Chase was impeached under the Sedition Act for partisan and “intemperate” comments during trials. It takes a two-thirds vote of the Senate to impeach. Chase was not convicted in the Senate.