Yesterday, Weather Undergound advised me to maybe expect snow this evening, and maybe also a couple of days from now, during the night. I’m skeptical, but I’m also paying attention. Also, CPR reported that the judge to whom the Elijah McCain murder case is assigned has deemed there need to be three separate trials. Since there are five defendants, it will be interesting to see how that shakes out. Finally, the debt ceiling, but no deal, was reached. Axios has an article about emergency measures. (Did you know that the whole point of having a debt ceiling was to prevent this sort of thing happening?)
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
Robert Reich – Back to another horrible, hellish, horrendous, totally absurd battle over the debt ceiling
Quote – Congress could defuse this bomb by simply raising the debt limit, as it has dozens of times under presidents of both parties for decades. But the MAGA radicals now in control of the House of Representatives are refusing to raise the debt ceiling unless President Biden agrees to devastating cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and other key programs. I was involved in a similar fight over the debt ceiling fight twenty-eight years ago, which holds some lessons for what happens now.
Click through for full article. This is not a first rodeo for any of us.
Letters from an American – January 17, 2023
Quote – Today the bill for the elevation of Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to House speaker began to come due. McCarthy promised the far-right members of his conference committee seats and far more power in Congress to persuade them to vote for him. Now they are collecting.
Click through for full letter. She covers multiple abuses, starting with committee assignments, but she does get around to the debt ceiling too.
Food For Thought
