USpolitics

Haven't done a deep look but this could be good to share with some of your family members.

What are American’s doing now to prepare for the next USA government shutdown?

What were pain points from the previous shutdown?

The next possible USA government shutdown is Feb 1, 2026, which is just over 45 days away as I post this.

Here is a countdown clock: https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/time/government-shutdown-timer.php

#Posting here for the politics focused replies.

• Early Warnings: Trump officials were told that cutting aid to South Sudan would exacerbate a deadly cholera epidemic. They did so anyway.
• Aid Charade: Even as lifesaving programs closed in South Sudan, Rubio and other officials maintained they were still active and that no one had died. We found that wasn’t true.
• A Surging Outbreak: After the funding cuts, cases in South Sudan spiked. It’s the worst cholera epidemic in the country’s history.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/51578980

Donald Trump post:

We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter. Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well. This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them. The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

DONALD J. TRUMP PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

• Dropbox.

Source: Oversight Democrats.

It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends

Update:

They released more photos in the interest of transparency Via Bluesky

Here is some:

Congressman Shri Thanedar (MI-13) introduced two articles of impeachment (H.Res.935) against Donald Trump’s Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, for the following charges:

• Article I: Murder and Conspiracy to Murder
• Article II: Reckless and Unlawful Mishandling of Classified Information

It's damaging when people blindly follow ideologies instead of thinking about issues on the basis of evidence and reason.

https://open.substack.com/pub/billhulet/p/practical-philosophies-part-four?r=4ot1q2&showWelcomeOnShare=true

https://open.substack.com/pub/billhulet/p/practical-philosophies-part-three?r=4ot1q2&showWelcomeOnShare=true

I believe a great deal of our polarized society comes down to the stories we tell ourselves about who we are--and how we came to those stories in the first place.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010 with the goal of making healthcare more accessible. Many subsidies under the ACA are set to expire by the end of 2025. Those in favor of letting the subsidies expire claim tightening Medicaid eligibility will lessen federal spending while those against the cuts point out the expiration will reverse the progress in lowering the rate of the uninsured. Should lawmakers extend federal assistance or restore “fiscal discipline”?

The Consumer Safety Technology Act (H.R. 1770/CSTA) is a bill that will create a pilot AI program to regulate financial actions and blockchain technology with less human oversight. Supporters argue that any deficit in the financial arena can be spotted more quickly with AI. Those against the bill reason it can cause potential data leaks and allow too much government oversight in the private sector. Does the possible passing of this bill allow for too much federal government regulation in the private sector?

Authoritarianism Is Here - LegalEagle (7-minutes)

Transcript

Even worse, Trump and his Surrogates now whine, that simply calling their behavior “authoritarianism,” itself is an incitement to violence, thus justifying further crackdowns.

This is the logic of a Wife Beater.

This is Gaslighting on a National Scale.

And early in Trump's second term, we were asking, “Is this a Constitutional Crisis?” Well, yeah, it was. But the Constitutional Crisis is over. We Lost.

Trial Courts have fought valiantly, but the Supreme Court has repeatedly abdicated its Role, and handed over unprecedented power to the President. Not any President — certainly not a Democratic president — but to one President: Donald Trump.

The Supreme Court will not save us. And for reasons that I cannot fathom, they seem to welcome the turn towards authoritarianism.

Now, I recognize that it hasn't been seamless, there has been plenty of buffoonery. Trump exists in such a dense bubble of misinformation, that I think he truly believes everyone else is as corrupt as he is.

And that delusion has led him to empower some of the most incompetent Loyalists alive: Lindsey Halligan, Alina Habba, and Emil Bove, who have bungled his Revenge Fantasies. And some of their ham-fisted schemes have exploded in their faces.

And certain Institutions, especially Lower Courts and Juries, have Pushed Back.

But the terrifying part is this:

Their corrupt plans might have worked if they weren't so dumb. And eventually a more competent Authoritarian will step in and finish what they started.

As Professor Nicholas Grossman put it:

“In normal democracy terms, we're in bad shape and things are getting worse. In consolidated authoritarianism terms, we're doing pretty well, as the regime is haphazard, meeting resistance, and growing increasingly unpopular.”

And I think he's absolutely right. But I'm not confident that that will still be true 3 years from now.

And look, I don't think we're beyond salvation...yet. We do still have a choice.

But 3 years from now, a whole lot of these Bastards are gonna need to go to Jail.

There will be enormous political pressure to just move on, and pretend like this never happened. Arguably, like President Biden did after 2021.

But authoritarianism is like cancer. Ignore it, and it spreads. Pretend it's gone, and it comes back worse.

References

• YouTube: What Happens When He Ignores Court Orders?
• NPR
• Fox News
• Prof. Nicholas Grossman’s skeet
• Extra Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_crisis#United_States

Source: r/law

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) created environmental protections in areas of government and most private developments. Some advocate for rolling back CEQA to decrease housing costs. Others argue the roll back undermines California’s position as a climate leader and worsen water quality and pollution conditions. Is affordable housing worth worsening environmental conditions? Should CEQA’s roll back wording be updated to best protect California’s environment?

The trade war was supposed to bring back jobs… but it somehow backfired on America’s soybean farmers. 😬

In this video, I break down how a huge global market vanished almost overnight, why bailouts suddenly became the only lifeline, and how this whole situation turned into socialism for rich soyboys.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) prohibits the U.S. government from spying on Americans without a warrant. Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act allows the government to monitor foreign communications. Supporters argue it allows American agencies to stop foreign threats. Those against 702 point out that the FBI is able to monitor foreign conversations happening with Americans. Should Section 702 continue to be renewed despite the possibility of the section allowing collection of American’s data without a warrant?

The Richardson Waiver which prohibited regulatory decisions being made without sufficient public input with the Department of Health and Human Services was repealed back in February by RFK Jr. Critics claim these changes enable the department to make drastic changes to Medicaid that would negatively impact many Americans. Others argue that this change allows faster implementation of necessary policies. Is public participation always necessary in policymaking?

California Governor, Gavin Newsom, just signed a 5 bill package “Firefighting to Freedom.” The bills are designed to increase protections for incarcerated individuals who work as firefighters. Those in support argue the bills increase rehabilitation opportunities for the incarcerated while those in opposition believe the bills will cause pressure on jails to increase compensation for other incarcerated labor. Is it time for full incarceration labor reform?

More about Kirk not being a saint, and how Klein's idiotic op ed--and its response shows a real change in public conversations.

https://open.substack.com/pub/billhulet/p/practical-philosophies-part-two-charlie?r=4ot1q2&showWelcomeOnShare=true