@16:52, , 6/8/19

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America: A Christian Nation

Ian Welsh at Ian Welsh - 3 hours ago

Scott Warren is charged with helping immigrants who were crossing the Mexican border. Oh my God. “He gave them food, he gave them water, he gave them a place to stay…He did a bad thing.” — Anna Wright, @USAO_AZ in her closing argument that #ScottWarren should be convicted. I wonder if the prosecutor thinks she […]

Christian charity is unlawful in the U.S.

2 

Politicians Draw Clear Lines on Abortion. Their Parties Are Not So Unified.

Nate Cohn at NYT > Politics - 5 hours ago

It’s one of the most polarizing issues in America, and a political litmus test. But surveys find many voters struggle with its ethical and moral perplexities.

Morality is no business of the state.

Moral questions are left to individuals in all cases under separation of church and state.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics

"Ethics seeks to resolve questions of human morality by defining concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime. As a field of intellectual inquiry, moral philosophy also is related to the fields of moral psychology, descriptive ethics, and value theory. " 

More morality.   

The U.S. has found it necessary to move some moral constructs to a social contract. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract

The U.S. social contract is under constant debate. 

Think Law. 

3 

Liberals Begin Lining Up Young Judges for a Post-Trump Surge

Carl Hulse at NYT > Politics - 5 hours ago

Liberal advocacy groups have a message for federal judges pondering retirement: Hold on until 2021. In the meantime, they have begun drawing up lists of possible replacements.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_investigations_of_United_States_federal_judges

The Republican party intends to leave no judgeship unfilled. 

4 

White House Tried to Stop Climate Science Testimony, Documents Show

Lisa Friedman at NYT > Politics - 5 hours ago

Administration officials said proposed testimony by a State Department scientist amounted to “climate alarm propaganda.”

"(I}n a highly unusual move, the White House refused to approve Dr. Schoonover’s written testimony for entry into the permanent Congressional Record. The reasoning, according to a June 4 email seen by The New York Times, was that the science did not match the Trump administration’s views" 

5 

Schedule for Week of June 9, 2019

Calculated Risk at Calculated Risk - 8 hours ago

The key reports this week are Retail sales and CPI. For manufacturing, the Industrial Production report will be released this week. *----- Monday, June 10th -----* [image: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey]10:00 AM ET: *Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey* for April from the BLS. This graph shows job openings (yellow line), hires (purple), Layoff, Discharges and other (red column), and Quits (light blue column) from the JOLTS. Jobs openings increased in March to 7.488 million from 7.142 million in February. The number of job openings (yellow) were up 9% year-over-year, ... more  

 https://twitter.com/paulkrugman

6

Even as Floods Worsen With Climate Change, Fewer People Insure Against Disaster

Christopher Flavelle at NYT > Politics - 10 hours ago

The Midwest floods have highlighted a gap in disaster readiness: Fewer Americans are buying flood insurance, even as climate change increases their risk.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Flood_Insurance_Program

The ability to borrow was not included in the continuing resolution.

7 

Fact-Checking Kamala Harris on the Campaign Trail

Linda Qiu at NYT > Politics - 10 hours ago

The California senator has not always offered accurate defenses of her record or assessments of President Trump’s policies.

As a former prosecutor she has forensic opponents.
She is not presently under oath.

8 

3 New Policies From the 2020 Democrats: Policing, L.G.B.T. Rights and Voting Rights

Maggie Astor at NYT > Politics - 10 hours ago

There’s a lot going on in the presidential race, so you might have missed these new plans from Julián Castro, Kirsten Gillibrand and Beto O’Rourke.

Getting things into the platform is the project.
This is primary sea
son.

9 

Trump Is More Vulnerable to Democratic Attacks on Trade Than You Might Think

Neil Irwin at NYT > Politics - 10 hours ago
 

Trump and his advisers have no understanding of macroeconomics.

 

10 

On Politics: The Biggest Stories of the Week

Isabella Grullón Paz at NYT > Politics - 12 hours ago

It’s been a busy week in American politics. Here are some of the stories you might have missed.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2019/jun/05/steve-bell-75th-anniversary-d-day-cartoon

• A group challenging North Carolina’s state legislative maps says documents from the files of Thomas Hofeller, a deceased political strategist, show that Republicans misled a federal court to avoid a special election.

• The Department of Veterans Affairs will start allowing a broad swath of its nine million enrollees to seek medical care outside of traditional V.A. hospitals. Veterans groups and lawmakers are concerned.

I am not forgetting the aid bill.

11

 

Mnuchin Lays Blame for Failed Trade Talks on China

Alan Rappeport at NYT > Politics - 12 hours ago

The Treasury secretary also said that President Trump will meet with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, at the G-20 leaders’ summit in Osaka, Japan, later this month.

China can't make the world as Trump imagins it.

12 

U.S. Ambassador Says Israel Has Right to Annex Parts of West Bank

David M. Halbfinger at NYT > Politics - 12 hours ago

Ambassador David M. Friedman opened the door to American acceptance of Israel’s annexation of parts of the West Bank, a move that would violate international law.

 Trump is attempting to delegitimize the U.N.

The Turks will return to the levant.

13 

Death on the Rio Grande: A Look at a Perilous Migrant Route

Zolan Kanno-Youngs at NYT > Politics - 16 hours ago

President Trump’s immigration clampdown has pushed an increasing surge of migrants into the harsh river current as the fastest route to American soil.

The Republican party does not recognize the American Constitution.

14 

Trump Calls Off Plan to Impose Tariffs on Mexico

Michael D. Shear, Ana Swanson and Azam Ahmed at NYT > Politics - 18 hours ago

President Trump said Friday evening on Twitter that the “Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended.”

Suspensions can end.

15 

U.S. and Mexico Issue Joint Declaration on Migration and Tariffs

Liam Stack at NYT > Politics - 18 hours ago

Mexico agreed to take “unprecedented steps” to stop migrants from crossing its border into the United States, the State Department said. Read the statement here.

The refugees will keep coming.

16 

Behind Biden’s Reversal on Hyde Amendment: Lobbying, Backlash and an Ally’s Call

Katie Glueck, Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns at NYT > Politics - 20 hours ago

Mr. Biden suddenly renounced his support for a measure to restrict federal abortion funding after blacks, women’s groups and a longtime friend urged him to do so.

A political lie?

17 

Putin and Xi Herald the Virtues of Globalism, Critiquing the U.S. on Trade

Andrew E. Kramer at NYT > Politics - 20 hours ago

The presidents of Russia and China used an investment conference to critique what they saw as increased protectionism by the United States amid rising tensions.

Anticomunism is a Republican religion.

18 

New Election Security Bills Face a One-Man Roadblock: Mitch McConnell

Nicholas Fandos at NYT > Politics - 22 hours ago

A raft of election-security legislation faces opposition from the Senate majority leader, but House Democrats are readying hearings and votes to raise the pressure.

Impeaching a senator is possible.

19 

Mexico Has Two Options in Dealing with Trump Demands on Migration. Both Could Hurt.

Azam Ahmed and Paulina Villegas at NYT > Politics - 22 hours ago

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico can either give in United State’s demands or face stiff tariffs. Both could weaken his ratings at home and the Mexican economy.

Face has been saved.

20 

Pentagon Steps Up Dispute With Turkey Over Weapons Purchase From Moscow

Helene Cooper at NYT > Politics - 22 hours ago

The Trump administration is pressing Turkey to drop plans to buy a Russian antiaircraft system, threatening to end cooperation on the F-35 fighter program.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_War_of_Independence

Ataturk is delegitimized.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_Kemal_Atat%C3%BCrk

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