Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
Anne Laurie has been a Balloon Juice writer since 2009.
Justice Department can resume its criminal probe of more than 100 classified documents seized at Mar-a-Lago, appeals court says. https://t.co/vlpUwmevG2
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) September 21, 2022
Trump Crime Cartel Open Thread: “11th Circuit” Trending on Twitter…Post + Comments (138)
White House says @POTUS called Puerto Rico governor Pierluisi from Air Force One:
"President Biden described the surge of Federal support to the island, where more than 300 Federal personnel are already working to assist with response and recovery."— Nandita Bose (@nanditab1) September 19, 2022
I am sick and tired of trickle-down economics. It has never worked.
We're building an economy from the bottom up and middle out.
— President Biden (@POTUS) September 20, 2022
Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Prosocial CalendarPost + Comments (149)
The small Delaware town of Rehoboth Beach, where President Joe Biden has a vacation home, appears to be the landing spot for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ next round of expensive migrant flights, according to flight plans.https://t.co/xdfWoci9ko
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) September 20, 2022
The element of surprise only works when it’s surprising:
The small Delaware town of Rehoboth Beach, where President Joe Biden has a vacation home, scrambled Tuesday to prepare for the expected arrival of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ next round of expensive migrant flights—but the day only ended with more confusion in the Diamond State.
Instead, confusion swirled as the chartered plane that was scheduled to leave Texas on Tuesday morning, filled with migrants, departed hours late and bound for a different city—Nashville, Tennessee—with no passengers on board.
Delaware officials had sprung into action on Monday night after word got out that the same plane DeSantis used to fly migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard last week was listed on a public schedule to fly to Delaware, via Florida, on Tuesday morning. There was also a $950,000 payment made by Florida to Vertol Systems Company Inc, the same charter company that flew migrants to Martha’s Vineyard.
Once word spread, however, DeSantis lost the element of surprise that marked his Martha’s Vineyard stunt. This time, city, state and federal officials immediately began preparing for a possible arrival.
“We are aware of the situation and are working with state and local partners to compassionately address this situation and take care of the migrants who may arrive,” a spokesperson for Rehoboth Beach, a city of 1,108 people, said in a statement to The Daily Beast on Tuesday morning.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) told CNN on Tuesday that he spent much of Monday night on the phone, coordinating with community leaders “to make sure that we provide an appropriate, welcoming and supportive reception in Delaware.”…
The White House also indicated that federal agencies had reached out to coordinate with Delaware Gov. John Carney and service providers in a bid to prevent a repeat of the Martha’s Vineyard episode…
The Republican mantra has been that any publicity is good publicity, but I’m not sure these stories look good to those not already part of the GOP Death Cult…
Tuesday Evening Open Thread: <em>Curses, Foiled!… </em>Post + Comments (73)
When Papa *becomes* transportation… pic.twitter.com/GH1MDirSYc
— Chasten Buttigieg (@Chasten) September 18, 2022
Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting two historically Black colleges in South Carolina to push for voter registration. She’s focusing on places and demographics that will be key to Democrats’ chances to hold on to Congress in midterm elections. https://t.co/ekfEbYAUK1
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) September 20, 2022
Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Best HousekeepingPost + Comments (178)
Note: The FYWP function that lets me post screen-shots here decided to go on strike just as I started the process here, so I’ve pruned the list down a bit to get as much as possible updated.
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People have decided that the pandemic is over, would’ve been a more accurate phrasing, but in context, President Biden’s remarks are far less shocking than his opponents would like to pretend:
here are the in-context remarks pic.twitter.com/klWMIChllC
— GONELIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) September 19, 2022
Take it from the experts:
… Reaching the end of a pandemic is not like driving out of one county into the next. There is no fixed demarcation between a pandemic and post-pandemic period, especially for the first recorded pandemic caused by a coronavirus. It’s not like we know it’s over if cases drop to a certain level for a prescribed length of time.
Experts say there are no accepted metrics or defined international rules that tell us when we can call the code on this horrible event. In reality, things are much more ephemeral when it comes to knowing when a pandemic is over.
“It’s over when people decide that it’s over. … And most people seem to have decided it’s over,” said John Barry, author of “The Great Influenza,” a history of the 1918 Spanish flu.
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Monday / Tuesday, Sept. 19-20Post + Comments (58)
This is awesome ??#NAFO #UkraineWar #RussiaIsATerroristState
Credit: AdamSomething on YouTube. (https://t.co/YKiE3pHIKu) pic.twitter.com/FvhCvvAq4o
— T-72 Space Program Advisor Fella ????? (@T72SpaceProgram) September 16, 2022
Later Night Open Thread: Putin Is *Not* Winning the Meme WarPost + Comments (31)
Of all of the amazing things that have happened over the last few weeks, nothing has been as great as being able to share this day in D.C. with my family. I couldn’t have gotten this far without them?? pic.twitter.com/ecP0VlM3vs
— Mary Peltola (@MaryPeltola) September 14, 2022
Good things still happen, too, as a piece in the Washington Post‘s ‘Lifestyle’ section just reminded me. “What good is 16 weeks in Congress? Mary Peltola is about to show us”:
She launched into her new life about noon Friday last week, flying from western Alaska to Anchorage, where she hopped on another plane around 3 a.m. Saturday, then hustled through the Seattle airport for her connecting flight to D.C., and a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives — a thrilling prospect that may, in fact, be quite temporary.
On Monday she did an MSNBC hit, during which the host compared her to both Barack and Michelle Obama, then swore her oath of office around 6:41 p.m. Tuesday on the floor of the House while wearing the traditional fur-lined footwear of the Yup’ik people. Within the hour she cast her first three votes as a congresswoman, then shepherded her four children and three stepchildren and two grandchildren to a jubilant reception hosted by Alaska Native organizations and headlined by Nancy Pelosi — all while running, on the side, yet another campaign: to retain the office she was just elected to (Alaska’s sole seat in the House) past the Jan. 3 expiration of her new, current, abbreviated term…
Her nameplate was up outside her new office, Rayburn 2314, the expansive former lair of her legendary predecessor, the late Don Young (R), who was as ornery as she is gentle. The masts by the office door were still awaiting flags. The waiting room was empty except for a box of Dunkin’ Donuts, two apples on a paper plate, and a fresh visitors log that already had the names of six constituents — one of whom had scrawled “YAY!!!!”, presumably in celebration of Peltola’s historic election.
Monday Evening Open Thread: Congratulations, Rep. Mary PeltolaPost + Comments (49)
