National Issues 199 , CD3 DFL

Tina Smith’s Fight for Affordable Child Care

For the past year, Minnesota Senator Tina Smith alongside Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has fought to bring economic relief to child care providers. The pandemic has shown us just how crucial affordable, accessible child care is. As schools shut down and students returned home, essential workers still had to report to work; and quality child care was a part of keeping their children cared for and safe.

Even before the pandemic, affordable child care was scarce across Minnesota and the country. As an article from MinnPost explained, “The economics of the industry cause providers to get paid very little while tuition costs for families can be enormous.” In April of 2020, Smith and Warren began their fight for child care bailout.

In the 2020 fiscal year, the federal government gave $8.7 billion to states, territories and tribes for the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Through Smith and Warren’s dedication, the new stimulus package will give roughly $15 billion more to that program, plus another $24 billion for child care “stabilization funding” and another $1 billion for the Head Start program.

GOP Slams Biden’s ‘Unlawful’ Border Actions After Supporting Similar Trump Moves

Republicans eagerly supported Donald Trump when he circumvented Congress on the border wall. Now they say Joe Biden can’t do the same.

Republicans this week accused President Joe Biden of violating federal law after he froze funding for border wall construction between the U.S. and Mexico, an impediment they say is needed to stop the growing influx of migrants there.

Sens. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), joined by 38 other GOP senators, wrote a letter to the Government Accountability Office on Wednesday calling Biden’s executive order halting construction a “blatant violation of federal law and infringe(s) on Congress’s constitutional power of the purse.”

The lawmakers cited the Impoundment Control Act, a 1974 law aimed at preventing executive branch officials from unilaterally substituting their own funding decisions for those of Congress. Continue reading.

Kevin McCarthy buried by ex-GOP staffer for ‘rolling over’ and becoming Trump’s ‘good dog’

In a column for the Bulwark, a former speechwriter for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) claimed that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has given up all pretense of being his own man and now does Donald Trump’s bidding — even if it means contradicting his own previous statements.

Under a biting headline that reads, “Kevin McCarthy, Fetch,” Amanda Carpenter took the senior Republican to task for performing for Trump while on TV in exchange for “belly rubs and treats.”

Setting the stage, she wrote, “Some dog lovers believe that what makes their canine companions wonderful is their ability to ‘live in the moment’—meaning that, although they can be trained and obedient, and can learn to recognize and remember things they love and things they fear, they don’t have distinct memories of the past, let alone an ability to plan for the future. These dogs—or so the thinking goes—love their owners unconditionally. And they just want to submit and play nice for belly rubs and treats,” before complimenting the New York Times’ Julie Hirschfeld Davis for once observing McCarthy as a “golden retriever of a man who hates to be by himself.” Continue reading.

Colbert Shows How Trump’s Racist Lies Led To Spa Shootings In Damning Supercut

“The Late Show” host called the former president “a hateful man who left a stain” on the nation.

Stephen Colbert says former President Donald Trump bears a “particular responsibility” for amplifying the racist hatred that led to this week’s deadly shootings in the Atlanta area.

Police say a sex-obsessed gunman fatally shot eight people, including six women of Asian descent, at three massage spas.

Colbert noted the attack comes after Trump spent much of 2020 using anti-Asian rhetoric and slurs in front of his cheering throngs in an attempt to deflect blame for his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading.

Watch GOP congressman refuse over and over again to admit Biden won the election

Rep. Lee Zeldin said ‘it’s a bit ridiculous’ to even ask him.

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) on Thursday refused to acknowledge that President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. Zeldin’s denial came a day after U.S. intelligence agencies warned that similar rhetoric is fueling ongoing extremist threats in America.

Zeldin made his comments in an interview with Politico as part of the publication’s “Playbook Live” series.

Noting that he was one of several Republicans to vote against certifying the election results, reporter Ryan Lizza asked Zeldin to acknowledge that Biden won. Continue reading.

George W. Bush: ‘Sick To My Stomach’ Watching Capitol Riot

The former president said in an interview with The Texas Tribune that he hoped rage will “work its way out of the system.”

Former President George W. Bush said he was “disgusted” and “sick to his stomach” as he watched the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol unfold.

Bush made the comments in an interview with The Texas Tribune on Feb. 24 as part of the SXSW 2021 festival, which was streamed online on Thursday.

“I was sick to my stomach … to see our nation’s Capitol being stormed by hostile forces,” the former president said during the interview. “And it really disturbed me to the point where I did put out a statement, and I’m still disturbed when I think about it.” Continue reading.

New doc makes convincing case right-winger who’s denied he’s QAnon’s ‘Q’ is lying

In an upcoming 6-part investigation into QAnon appearing on HBO beginning on March 21, the man suspected of being the mysterious “Q” — who has promoted conspiracy theories about dark doings in the U.S. government– is confronted by the producers and once again denied the assertion despite substantial information that casts doubt on his refusal to own up.

According to a report from Newsweek, in the first episode of Q: Into the Storm, Ron Watkins, son of 8kun’s founder Jim Watkins, appears uncomfortable while denying being Q under questioning.

he report states, “Many of the extreme beliefs and theories behind QAnon stem from thousands of coded and cryptic messages which began appearing on 4chan—a forerunner of 8chan—before moving to 8kun,” before adding, “The coded messages or ‘drops’ would be interpreted by QAnon followers to form what would evolve into the radical claims made by the movement involving satanic pedophiles and the ‘deep state.'” Continue reading.

Vaccines could prevent asymptomatic infection. Here’s why that’s key to ending the pandemic.

If vaccines can halt asymptomatic spread, then “you could potentially vaccinate your way out of the epidemic,” one expert said.

Vaccine distribution is ramping up in many countries, but with Covid-19 cases also climbing once again and the prospect of another surge of infections on the horizon, the world is in a race against time.

Key to winning the race, experts say, is not only whether the vaccines will play a significant role in preventing serious illness from Covid-19, but also whether they can block people from spreading the virus.

“The ideal vaccine would have two performance features: One prevents you from going to the hospital, going to the ICU and losing your life,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. “But if the vaccine also halts asymptomatic spread, then you could potentially vaccinate your way out of the epidemic.” Continue reading.

‘A toxic cycle of blame, sycophancy and political pressure’: New book to detail Trump’s ‘nightmare’ handling of COVID crisis

Washington Post journalists Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta are preparing for the release of their forthcoming book, “Nightmare Scenario,” which aims to highlight former President Donald Trump’s disastrous COVID-19 response since the onset of the pandemic.

According to Axios, the agents for the book, which will be released by HarperCollins Publishers, are Javelin’s Keith Urbahn and Matt Latimer. Jonathan Jao, HarperCollins’ vice president and executive editor, has also been named as editor of the book. The publication also offered a brief overview of the book and the controversial topics it will address.

From the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus to the politicization of the pandemic, the book will reportedly offer an in-depth look at the timeline of Trump’s White House’s handling of COVID-19. Continue reading.

Senate confirms Marty Walsh as Biden’s Labor secretary

The Senate on Monday confirmed Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to lead President Biden’s Labor Department — the final Cabinet official who can be confirmed, for now.

Senators voted 68-29 on Walsh’s nomination, after he easily cleared a procedural hurdle late last week.

Walsh is likely the final Cabinet pick Biden will get confirmed before the Senate takes a two-week break. Continue reading.

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