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 Hill says Ohio’s governor has signed into law a bill that allows police to charge the public if they want access to police camera footage, despite the public already paying for the footage.
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Russian and Iranian groups linked to disinformation efforts targeting American voters prior to our election. The disinformation included “deepfake” videos, fake news websites and social media posts. They were intended to undermine election trust and manipulate voters, CBS reported.
The Russian attempts were pro-Donald Trump; the Iranians were pro-Kamala Harris.
New Federal Reserve data: close to 75% of expected future flood damage will be to homes lacking flood insurance. The Lever stated that if there are no emergency government bailouts, a possibility under Project 2025 plans, victims face a choice of huge out-of-pocket expenses, bankruptcy or homelessness.
With the Postal Service reporting financial losses, Trump is considering privatization, The Washington Post wrote. The USPS was founded in 1775, when it was intended to be a service, not a business, for boosting commerce. In his first term Trump tried to turn the USPS over to the Treasury Dept.
The USPS became financially self-sustaining in 1970, but under the Trump-appointed USPS leadership, in 2024 it had a $9.95 billion loss. That was said to be due to modernization of facilities and equipment, and declines in mail volume -- due to more internet activity. Forbes says privatization would bring “disaster,” a likely increase in rates and a decrease in services, such as fewer days of mail.
A lifelong California farmer told France24 how Trump’s mass deportation plans could impact food supplies if at least nine million immigrants and their families are deported: “without our people, farms will come to a stop,” and that can cause a spike in the cost of food. That spike could be higher with tariffs Trump wants on imports. With the absence of migrant farm workers, plan B is mechanization, but the farmer said that’s not ready to roll out. Trump’s “border czar” pick, Tom Homan, told ABC that deportation plans on “day one” include “shock and awe.”
President Joe Biden recently signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law. It will benefit close to three million U.S. retirees, who will now receive full SS benefits. The Act eliminates two federal policies that prevented those with a public pension, such as former police officers and teachers, from receiving full SS benefits. Payments will be retroactive to January 2024, CBS wrote.
Also signed: executive action for protecting millions of acres from offshore drilling: CBS.
The U.S. is the largest producer of crude oil, followed by Russia and Saudi Arabia: Newsweek.
Citing threats to national security and keeping U.S. supply chains strong, President Biden blocked Japan’s Nippon Steel from acquiring U.S. Steel, BBC reported. United Steel Workers supported Biden; U.S. Steel and Nippon didn’t. Analysts: the businesses may try again when Trump gains office.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney was one of 20 that President Biden has awarded with a Presidential Citizens Medal for “exemplary deeds of service” for their January 6 committee work. Trump responded by calling them “dishonest thugs.”
Cheney stated: “Donald, this is not the Soviet Union. You can’t change the truth and you cannot silence us. Remember all your lies about the voting machines, the election workers, your countless allegations of fraud that never happened? Many of your lawyers have been sanctioned, disciplined or disbarred; the courts ruled against you, and dozens of your own White House, administration, and campaign aides testified against you. Remember how you sent a mob to our Capitol and then watched the violence on television and refused for hours to instruct the mob to leave? Remember how your former Vice President prevented you from overturning our Republic? We remember. And now, as you take office again, the American people need to reject your latest malicious falsehoods and stand as the guardrails of our Constitutional Republic -- to protect the America we love from you.”
Also honored by Biden with medals were military personnel, for their bravery; scientists for work on climate change, diseases and communications; and public safety officers who risked their lives.
Trump’s plan to pardon Jan. 6, 2020, rioters is opposed by 60% of Americans: Newsweek.
Moody’s Analytics says “President Trump is inheriting an economy that is about as good as it ever gets.” The New York Times says Biden’s Administration has overseen the best conditions since at least 2000: no U.S. troops serve in foreign wars, the murder rate is significantly down, drug overdoses dropped sharply, undocumented immigration is below where it was when Trump left office, the economy is growing, real wages are rising, inflation is down and close to the “normal” range, unemployment is at historic lows -- 700,000 manufacturing jobs were added, and energy production is at a historic high.
Blast from the past: “A year from now won’t you be glad you started today!” Australian author Karen Lamb. A friend has this posted on each month of her calendar. One year ago she changed her health habits -- for her the biggies were cutting out wheat and taking up bicycling (stationary cycling in winter). She lost 52 pounds in 2024. At age 75 she says she feels healthy and wonderful.