Lots of news, breaking and otherwise, on today’s BradCast. Much of it encouraging, some of it much less so. Join us, won’t you? [Audio link to full show follows summary below.]
We begin today with Joe Biden’s first press conference as President, as he answered a bunch of questions, often in detail, on a bunch of topics. We focus specifically on the questions and his answers on both reforming the filibuster and the almost certain need to do so in order to see passage of the Democrats’ massive, much-needed electoral reform bill, the “For the People Act” in the U.S. Senate. That measure, as Biden seems to understand quite clearly, will be needed to counter the avalanche of voter suppression laws being moved, right now, through state legislatures by Republicans.
We share a number of his remarks in response to those efforts and read the tea leaves on what seems to be his commitment to first restoring the “Talking Filibuster” in the Senate and then, if necessary, perhaps even doing away with it all together for passage of democracy and civil rights-related measures.
As to the anti-democracy schemes being pushed by Republicans around the country, Biden says: “How un-American this whole initiative is. It’s sick. It’s sick,” referring to the measure which has now been passed and signed in Georgia that would, among many other things, outlaw even given water to voters standing on line. He claims that “Republican voters I know find this despicable” and that “this makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle.” As to being pressed on his plans to counter GOP obstructionism in the Senate, he teases: “Successful electoral politics is the Art of the Possible.”
Amongst the rest of the flurry of news covered on today’s show…
- Donald Trump’s figure at a wax museum in San Antonio has been removed for now, after it was repeatedly punched in the face — which presents me with a serious moral dilemma.
- For the first time since the pandemic began a year ago, last week’s jobless claims fell to a number that is finally below the all-time, pre-pandemic weekly record. That is a good — if still precarious — sign.
- A new report finds that 400,000 American lives could have been saved had the U.S. adopted widespread masking, social distancing and testing protocols by late May last year. 400,000 lives! Kinda makes ya want to punch a wax statue of Donald Trump in the face.
- In some long-overdue good progressive news, the Governor of Virginia — in a state which has killed more people with the death penalty than any other state — signed a bill to ban the barbaric, racist practice once and for all. The state becomes the first in the South to do so.
- In some long-overdue good progressive news in the North, New York State lawmakers finalized a deal with the scandal-plagued Gov. Cuomo to legalize recreational marijuana in the state, in a plan “crafted with an intense focus on making amends in communities impacted by the decades-long war on drugs.” There’s some more, very good racial justice news today.
- Breaking late during today’s show, the Georgia legislature adopted a massive voter suppression bill that we discussed in detail on yesterday’s BradCast with Marilyn Marks of the Coalition for Good Governance, when she warned about a little discussed provision that will allow a partisan State Board of Elections to replace any County’s Board of Elections with one partisan person for virtually any reason they wish. Had this measure been in place in 2020, she explained, the legislature could have used it to overturn the results of the Presidential election in Atlanta. Georgia’s champion vote suppressing Secretary of State turned Governor Brian Kemp signed the measure moments later, just after we signed off air tonight. (See Biden’s comments above about how “sick” and “despicable” all of this is.)
- At the same time, Republicans in the U.S. Senate. on Wednesday are pretending there is no voter suppression being adopted by states at all around the country. One of them — Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) — speaking up in favor of banning Sunday “souls to the polls” voting, which is popular with Black church-goers, believes voting on Sunday shouldn’t be allowed anyway…because God says so.
- And, before we get to Desi Doyen and the GNR, a bit more breaking news out of California, where those as young as 50 will be eligible for COVID vaccines as of April 1, and those older than 16 will be able to sign up beginning on April 15.
- Finally, Desi joins us for our latest Green News Report, for a delightfully toxic blend of the fossil fuel industry’s oil and plastic…that is killing us all.
As suggested, some encouraging news on today’s show, and some that is less so. We don’t make it. We just deliver it. Enjoy!…
(Snail mail support to “Brad Friedman, 7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594 Los Angeles, CA 90028” always welcome too!)
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