It is a measure of the corruption of the American government that George Santos is still a member of Congress and Clarence Thomas is still a Supreme Court Associate Justice, given the grotesque corruption of both men. Americans may not agree on many things, but they do agree that our government is a cesspit of corruption, and the implications for the future of democracy hang on such perceptions.
Activists attend a press conference on Supreme Court ethics reform outside of the U.S. Capitol on May 02, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Credit: Kevin Dietsch / Getty
As the public deals with the consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn 50 years of precedent protecting abortion rights across the country, trust in the Supreme Court has hit an all-time low, new polling by Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago finds.
The latest installment of the General Social Survey, which NORC has conducted since 1973, polled Americans between May and December of last year — the period immediately following the leak of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The polling found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that trust in the High Court took a nosedive last year. Just 18 percent of Americans said that they had a “great deal” of confidence in the Supreme Court last year, down from 26 percent in 2021. The amount of people with “only some” confidence dropped from 53 percent in 2021 to 46 percent in 2022.
In the United States, according to the Gallup Organization, 7.2% of the adult population in 2023 identify as LGBTQ. That is more than 24 million adults. To give you a sense of scale that is nearly 20 times as many people as are affiliated with the Baptist church. I think the Republicans have made a massive miscalculation because I don’t think very many of the LGBTQ community are going to vote Republican in the 2024 election, and in a number of states that is going to be definitive.
Two of the largest red states are set to adopt new bans on gender-affirming health care for trans children.
The Texas legislature passed a ban Wednesday on gender-affirming care for kids under 18, which includes hormone treatments and gender-affirming surgeries, though such surgeries are rarely performed on children. The ban allows trans teens already receiving hormone treatments to temporarily continue them. Still, it requires that they “wean” themselves off the treatments. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign the bill.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is reportedly gearing up to announce his 2024 presidential bid next week, also signed a similar ban in his state Wednesday, one that imposes felony penalties on health care providers who administer gender-affirming care to kids under 18. The law includes a provision that concerns custody disputes for a child receiving gender-affirming care, and, though it only applies to a narrow set of circumstances, advocates worry that it could lead to Florida overriding other states’ rulings.
CNN has a new chairman and CEO, Chris Licht, who is determined to move the network to the right. That’s what led to the debacle townhall they conducted with criminal Trump. I think Licht, seeing the crisis the Fox propaganda operation is going through, decided to take CNN closer to the MAGAt world in order to carve off part of the Fox viewers and bring them to CNN. I don’t think it is going to make the network any more successful, and I do think, CNN is going to lose respect. It has certainly changed my view.
Former President Donald Trump; Journalist Kaitlan Collins Spencer Platt Credit: Getty; Mike Coppola / CNN/Getty
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already heard the key sound bites from CNN’s town hall with Donald Trump. You know that the former president used his platform to not only repeat the same false statements about his accuser E. Jean Carroll that convinced a jury this week to hold him liable for defamation as well as sexual abuse, but also describe Carroll as a “wack job.” You know he wouldn’t rule out reimplementing his family separation policy at the border. You know that he delivered a full set of his greatest hits, from “Crazy Nancy” and “they will kill the baby in the ninth month” to his false insistence that the 2020 election was rigged and intention to pardon many Jan. 6 insurrectionists should he return to the White House.
Maybe you also observed, or read about, moderator Kaitlan Collins’ repeated attempts to fact-check or otherwise push back against many of the above statements. I say “many” because as the […]
Katie Rice and Skyler Swisher, Reporters - Orlando Sentinel
Stephan:
What did I tell you. We are going to see corporations that depend on customer support and seek to foster racial and gender fairness leave Red states. The only exception will be weapons manufacturers who will move from Blue states to Red states. This nastiness by DeSantis is going to cost Florida thousands of high paying jobs, not only those working for Disney as staff but also construction people, office furniture people, restaurants where Disney staffers might eat, and on and on. You may have seen this on television news. Here’s what the newspaper in Orlando where this is going on has to say.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney CEO Bob Iger Credit: The Associated Press
Amid its political feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis, Disney is dropping plans to build a nearly $1 billion corporate campus at Lake Nona that would have brought 2,000 high-paying jobs to Orlando.
In 2021, Disney paid $46.4 million for 58 acres near the Lake Nona Town Center that it planned to turn into a complex for its creative team, Imagineering, and other jobs. The average salary of the positions was cited as $120,000.
But in a memo to employees Thursday, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro attributed the project’s cancellation to “changing business conditions,” without mentioning The Walt Disney Co.’s escalating battle with the governor.
“Given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project, including new leadership and changing business conditions, we have decided not to move forward with construction of the campus. This was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one,” his message read.
D’Amaro said he has “hope” the company’s plans to invest $17 billion […]
Here is another of my predictions becoming reality. Latinos leaving far right Red states. I think we are also going to see LGBTQ folk leaving Red states, as well as fertile women. It is becoming dangerous for those populations to live in Red states.
Legislation in Florida and Texas to crack down on undocumented immigrants is prompting some Hispanics to reconsider where they live and work.
In Florida, videos of empty workplaces began to go viral after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill that ratchets up sanctions for employing undocumented workers.
Those videos have caused a stir and energized some Hispanic communities, but they also reflect real fears, say advocates.
“I think there is a form of protest to it. I’m sure there is, ‘Well you’re gonna regret it because you need us,’ which is absolutely true. But also, I’m sure there’s a palpable sense of fear among the immigrant community,” said Mario Carrillo, campaigns manager for America’s Voice, a progressive immigration advocacy group.
The Florida law goes into effect July 1, stacked with provisions that will make daily life harder for undocumented immigrants and their communities.
Those videos have caused a stir and energized some Hispanic communities, but they also reflect real fears, say advocates.
“I think there is a form of protest to it. I’m sure there is, ‘Well you’re gonna regret it […]
