Biden of America: The Return of the Democracy

A place for more serious off-topic discussion and debates.
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Ruth wrote:
December 20th, 2022, 6:14 pm
Before the oppenheimer updates i hadn't been active on here in months lol. Don't be this hard on me
My apologies. I guess I did sound a little bit entitled there. Didn't mean it as a slight to the mods. I was just expressing my objection to his post in that way.


10th posted.

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Jim Sciutto, CNN: "New: US economy grew faster than previously thought in the third quarter. Commerce Department's final reading shows GDP up at an annual pace of 3.2% in the July to September period, above the 2.9% estimate from a month ago."

TradingEconomics.com - Heatmap (Global)

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The latest YouGov Poll says that only 26% of voters are in favour of Biden running again, with 54% being against him running again and every demographic is against a Joe Biden reelection attempt, except Black voters (46% in favour, 32% against) but even there one might say that African-American voters tended to support the Democratic President in higher numbers in similar polls in the past. That speaks loud and clear about how most voters think of the guy's "accomplishments" and how "historic" they are.

I mean, we could be here all day listing the things the guy chickened out on. For instance, he didn't fight to get rid of the legislative filibuster, which would have helped get a number of other initiatives passed much easier. He turned his back on fighting for a 15$ minimum wage (notably, 8 Dem Senators joined the Republicans in killing that, which says a lot about the Party that Biden is the head of), voting rights (Dems tend to do better when more people vote but they still didn't manage to get this done), paid family leave, the Build Back Better proposal has been gutted to please those right-wing corporate goons Manchin and Sinema, etc.. The man's incapable of getting the bare minimum done and yet his supporters and mainstream American media expect people to just respect whatever measly accomplishments he has. I mean, you can lie to yourself but you'd be doing so at your peril if he runs again because it seems like most voters don't feel the same way Biden supporters do at this stage. Just stop gaslighting everyone else.

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Getting a lot of work signed.

The White House - December 27, 2022 - Bills Signed



Biden signs law mandating working cameras in prisons | Boing Boing

The Hill - Biden signs bill to remove bust of Dred Scott decision author from Capitol

Salt Lake Tribune - Biden signs Romney, Moore bill to study salt lakes in drought-hit U.S. West

Reuters - Biden signs $1.66 trillion FY 2023 government funding bill


This omnibus bill included the presidential election reforms.

Fox61 - The long-awaited ‘Billy’s Law’ [for missing persons] gets Biden’s signature

Associated Press - Biden outpacing Trump, Obama with diverse judicial nominees

Daily Kos - Biden announces historic ACA enrollments, record low uninsured rate (liberal blog)

USA Today - Biden grants six pardons, including some with drug offences
President Joe Biden on Friday granted pardons to six individuals who have served their sentences, including a woman who was charged with second-degree murder for killing her husband after domestic abuse, a veteran who pleaded guilty for involvement in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy and several senior citizens.

Biden had granted three pardons prior to this since he took office, in addition to the sweeping pardon he issued in October for federal convictions for simple marijuana possession offenses.

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Associated Press - Biden: GOP speaker drama 'embarrassing,' 'not a good look'





The Committees were evenly divided when the Senate was evenly divided into two caucuses but now since it is not (+1 John Fetterman) more can make it out of committees.

Reuters - Biden renominates 25 judicial nominees, including longest pending ones
Their nominations, along with six others in Tuesday's batch, had been pending since January 2022 or longer. In the previously, evenly divided Senate, the Judiciary Committee deadlocked on both of their nominations, with Republicans opposed.
That's why 51 in a caucus is more powerful than 50 in a caucus + 1 vice president.

CBS News - President Biden to expand migration programs
US will accept up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela

The Hill - Biden readies ’24 campaign launch

The White House - Statement from President Joe Biden on the Election of Kevin McCarthy [R] as Speaker of the House


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Daily Kos - House GOP's first 'policy' vote is a gift to wealthy tax cheats, securing Biden's first veto threat (liberal blog)

Same priority it was under the Trump R House: keeping rich people from paying taxes.


Reuters - Biden invites Brazil's Lula to visit Washington in early February


Business Insider - If the Supreme Court strikes down student-loan forgiveness, it could have 'startling implications,' Biden says — and set a strange legal precedent going forward

New Proposed Regulations Would Transform Income-Driven Repayment by Cutting Undergraduate Loan Payments in Half and Preventing Unpaid Interest Accumulation | U.S. Department of Education

CBS New - U.S. attorney reviewing documents marked classified from Joe Biden's vice presidency found at Biden think tank
The material was identified by personal attorneys for Mr. Biden on Nov. 2, just before the midterm elections, Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president confirmed. The documents were discovered when Mr. Biden's personal attorneys "were packing files housed in a locked closet to prepare to vacate office space at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C.," Sauber said in a statement to CBS News. The documents were contained in a folder that was in a box with other unclassified papers, the sources said. The sources revealed neither what the documents contain nor their level of classification. A source familiar told CBS News the documents did not contain nuclear secrets.
USA Today - Biden documents: AG Garland names [Trump Deputy AG Robert Hur] special counsel to investigate

The Washington Post - Garland appoints special counsel to probe Biden classified documents
Legal experts say that it is not uncommon for some people who have security clearances to mishandle classified documents, or to inadvertently keep material that is restricted after leaving government service. The criteria for prosecuting people who mishandle classified documents include proving that the person deliberately flouted rules for how to secure the materials.
The documents Trump deliberately took only became a news story because he didn’t cooperate for a year and a half to give them back after politely and quietly being asked to and lied about it, defied subpoenas and established mens rea (guilty mind). Had he done so before the necessity of a raid it would have been much less of a story.

Accidents aren’t necessarily crimes and intent matters. Everybody in Washington and their staff brings their work home/elsewhere with them. #%*! happens and nobody's perfect, especially when there’s a lot to keep track of. There’s probably the remnants of piles of this stuff in landfills over the decades from everybody.

And it took this guy Garland two years to name one for Trump as to say he's moved with the speed of molasses in winter would be an understatement there.

Wall Street Journal - U.S. Inflation Slowed for Sixth Straight Month in December
U.S. inflation eased to 6.5% in December compared with a year earlier, marking the sixth straight monthly deceleration since a mid-2022 peak.

The consumer-price index, a measurement of what consumers pay for goods and services, rose at its slowest pace since October 2021, the Labor Department said Thursday. December’s annual inflation rate was down from 7.1% in November and well below a 9.1% peak in June.
Consumer Price Index Summary - 2022 M12 Results

Heatmap - Economic Indicators By Country


Biden's job approval rating had been ticking up lately, highest average since October 2021 (44% now at fivethirtyeight). Exit poll from the 2022 midterms showed a slightly higher approval for Biden than the general averages were showing during that time (44% exit poll versus 41% fivethirtyeight average). The Republican clown show being back in charge probably helps, along with an easing rate of inflation and fuel prices.

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Daily Kos - Two years ago, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were inaugurated. What have they accomplished?



Kyle Griffin, MSNBC producer: "NBC News confirms: The White House asked for the DOJ search of Biden's home. The search was not requested by the Department and there was *no search warrant executed."

Associated Press - White House to McCarthy: No negotiations on debt limit

TV line - SNL: 'Bad NBC Page' Aubrey Plaza's Set Tour Leads to a Surprise Reunion
As such, it was inevitable that her monologue — which opened with her assuring us that, trademark sarcasm and all, she truly does “care” about (some) things, and featured a cameo from fellow Delawarean President Biden — would find her reflecting on that years-ago gig. And it was equally inevitable that she would then slip on her old page’s jacket and offer viewers a backstage tour (requisite headdress-wearing showgirls and all).
Huffpost - White House Takes Executive Action To Help Protect Medication Abortion

USA Today - Fact check: Biden had the authority to declassify as vice president
Legal experts told USA TODAY that Biden had the authority to declassify documents as vice president as the result of a 2009 executive order signed by President Barack Obama.
Reuters - Biden to attack House Republican's economic plans in Virginia

The Hill - Biden to warn House GOP poses threat to economy




Reuters - US economy grows strongly in fourth quarter; weekly jobless claims fall

The Washington Post - Biden bans logging roads in much of America’s largest national forest
White House reinstates protections in Tongass National Forest that were undone by Trump; move aims to protect fish and a giant carbon sink

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Associated Press - US reunites nearly 700 kids taken from parents under Trump

CNBC - Payrolls increased by 517,000 in January, much better than 187,000 expected
Nonfarm payrolls were expected to increase by 187,000 in January, according to Dow Jones estimates.
The employment picture started off 2023 on a stunningly strong note, with nonfarm payrolls posting their strongest gain since July 2022.

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 517,000 for January, above the Dow Jones estimate of 187,000. The unemployment rate fell to 3.4% vs. the estimate for 3.6%. That is the lowest jobless level since May 1969.

Markets slumped following the report, with futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average down about 200 points.




These types of surveillance balloons are real and the United States has them too. China has used them previously over Taiwan.

Politico - U.S. military’s newest weapon against China and Russia: Hot air (2022)
For years, DoD has conducted tests using high-altitude balloons and solar-powered drones to collect data, provide ground forces with communication and mitigate satellite problems. The Pentagon is quietly transitioning the balloon projects to the military services to collect data and transmit information to aircraft, POLITICO discovered in DoD budget justification documents.
Raven Aerostar, a division of Raven Industries, produces the balloons. Raven said they consist of a flight control unit, powered by batteries that are charged using renewable solar panels. They also have a payload electronics package that controls flight safety, navigation and communications, Russell Van Der Werff, engineering director at Raven Aerostar, said in an interview.

Wind currents allow the balloon to float along a desired flight path, and the company takes advantage of different wind speeds and directions to move the balloon to the target area.

But that’s not all. Raven Aerostar uses a proprietary machine-learning algorithm that predicts wind directions and fuses incoming sensor data in real time, Van Der Werff said. The company also employs a software program to pilot and monitor its balloon fleet and has a mission operations center manned with trained flight engineers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, he added.




Business Insider - Republicans are blaming Biden for letting a suspected Chinese spy balloon cross into the US. It happened 3 times during the Trump administration, officials say.

Associated Press - Biden sounds ready to seek 2nd term while rallying Democrats

Reuters - 'Four more years': Democratic loyalists embrace Biden 2024 plan

Bloomberg News - Forget Trump, Democrats Are Preparing Ways to Beat a DeSantis Campaign

Associated Press - Dems reshuffle primaries to stress diversity over tradition

The Democratic Party on Saturday approved reordering its 2024 presidential primary, replacing Iowa with South Carolina in the leadoff spot as part of a major shake-up meant to empower Black and other minority voters critical to its base of support.

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Thread by @atrupar on Thread Reader App



The White House - FACT SHEET: Congressional Republicans’ Many Proposals to Cut Social Security and Medicare, and Increase Prescription Drug Prices and Health Care Premiums

Wall Street Journal - U.S. Poised to Further Tighten Technology Exports to China After Balloon Incident

NY Times - Pentagon Downed Object Over Alaska, Official Says

The incident comes less than a week after a U.S. fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic.
The Pentagon downed an unidentified object over Alaska on Friday at the order of President Biden, according to U.S. officials.

John Kirby, the White House spokesman, confirmed the shoot down at a news conference on Friday.

A U.S. official said it was not confirmed if the object was a balloon, but it was traveling at an altitude that made it a potential threat to civilian aircraft.

Mr. Biden ordered the unidentified object downed “out of an abundance of caution,” Mr. Kirby said.

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USA Today - Biden remains 'healthy, vigorous 80-year-old,' White House doctor says after physical exam



CNN - US intelligence community releases long-awaited UFO report (June 2021)
The US intelligence community on Friday released its long-awaited report on what it knows about a series of mysterious flying objects that have been seen moving through restricted military airspace over the last several decades.

In short, the answer, according to Friday's report, is very little, but the intelligence community's release of the unclassified document marks one of the first times the US government has publicly acknowledged that these strange aerial sightings by Navy pilots and others are worthy of legitimate scrutiny.

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