Author: Catherine Reed
Joe Biden will run for president
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 26, 2019After opting not to run against Hillary Clinton for the 2016 presidential nomination, Joe Biden has announced that he will seek the 2020 nomination. He announced his bid in a YouTube video: Biden’s tone in the video is dire, referencing Donald Trump’s notoriously tone-deaf response to the Charlottesville white supremacy march and the ensuing violence. …
Read MoreLindsey Graham warns Trump of impeachment
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 24, 2019Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s most faithful and vocal allies––not to mention the Chair of the Senate Committee––has warned President Donald Trump to expect impeachment. He has told Trump that the “radical left” is in charge of the House of Representatives––even though the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has cautioned her fellow Democrats against …
Read MoreTrumps approval rating now tied with his all-time low
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 23, 2019Before Mueller’s report was released, 44% of Americans approved of President Donald Trump’s job performance. Now that the report is out, however, that number has dropped to 39%, the same low it hit in August 2017 in the aftermath of the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. Despite these low numbers, only 34% of voters think that …
Read MoreTrump isn’t happy about the Mueller report, calls participants traitors
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 20, 2019Donald Trump is not pleased with the results of Robert Mueller’s report, which was two years in the making. He has threatened to “turn the tables” on everyone involved in the Mueller investigation, called them traitors, and promised to “bring them to justice.” Trump made all of these statements in a tweet-storm, in the midst …
Read MoreTrump 2020 will dig into base instead of seeking broader support
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 17, 2019During election season, most former presidents seeking reelection have attempted to broaden their support by reaching across the aisle. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Trump will not follow the trend––after all, nothing he done has followed the standard operating procedures. Rather, Trump will seek to drum up support from his base, and he seems to be doing so …
Read MoreNotre Dame survives fire, French billionaire pledges €100m
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 16, 2019The world very nearly lost one of its greatest treasures on Monday, when the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris caught fire. The landmark was undergoing renovations, which may have been the cause of the fire. The fire began around 6pm in Paris. It took nearly 500 firefighters some five hours to contain the blaze, which …
Read MoreGeorge Conway believes Mueller found evidence of collusion
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 15, 2019Remember the days before the Mueller report dropped, when many of us held out hopes that the outcome would put an end to the partisan bickering about Russian collusion? Ah, those were the days. Now we know better––the report has put nothing to bed; in fact, it’s only inspired more fighting. The most recent speculation …
Read MoreHouse Judiciary Committee wants Mueller to testify
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 9, 2019House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D) and Representative Doug Collins (R) have called for Robert Mueller to testify before the Judiciary Committee following Congress’s receipt of the Mueller report. Doug Collins initiated the call for Mueller’s testimony in a tweet: “Democrats can cite no precedent for their demands for grand jury information from the #MuellerReport, …
Read MoreThe “side hustle” is a scam
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 7, 2019The gig economy is a damnable scam, but too many Americans are accepting it as the new economic normal. Commercials like this one from Uber make the “side hustle” seem glamorous and easy. Americans are easily susceptible to gig economy because we place such high value on hard work. Working hard is not just a good thing, it’s a virtue. We’re trained to connect our worth as humans to our willingness to work. So we sign up to drive strangers around in our cars, to rent out our empty rooms to tourists, or to do any other side job that we can get via an app on our phone.
Data reveal that participating in the gig economy is far from efficient or lucrative, but many participate anyway, either out of ignorance or out of desperation. Many surrender their rights as workers by signing on as an independent contractor, which the New York Times has pointed out makes side hustles a tax nightmare. So without insurance coverage, employee protections, or even decent wages, many Americans sell their labor for pennies to companies with valuations in the tens of billions. Out of principle, Americans should refuse to participate in this scam.
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Read MoreMichael Cohen says he has more evidence for Congress
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 5, 2019Michael Cohen, who famous testified before Congress a few months ago, recently found a hard drive with “substantial” files on it. According to a letter from his attorney, Cohen wants to help but he’s, you know, going to jail on May 6. He is asking for a delay so he can be “readily accessible and immediately available to provide ongoing assistance to Congress in order for it to fulfill its executive branch oversight responsibilities.”
This isn’t the first time Cohen has made the news since the hearing. Michael Cohen is also suing the Trump organization for $1.9 million. Trump’s company is allegedly backing out on a preexisting agreement to pay legal fees Cohen accrued as a result of investigations into Trump and his organization. Cohen is also suing Trump for another $1.9 million for legal penalties Cohen incurred for services he provided Trump.
That famous congressional testimony was essentially a dud. You can read about its potential impact here. It’s important to note that this public testimony covers only that which the Mueller investigation does not cover, but so far nothing has come of it. It is possible, though, that Cohen’s testimony may exacerbate Trump’s legal trouble in New York.
More about politics.
Read MoreSen. Elizabeth Warren wants to make it easier to jail CEOs
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 4, 2019Senator Elizabeth Warren has introduced a bill called the Corporate Executive Accountability Act, which would make it easier for to charge company executives for a company’s wrongdoing. The bill would spread liability for wrongdoing to “negligent executives” of corporations with more than $1 billion of annual revenue.
Warren penned an op-ed for the Washington Post, in which she noted that “Too often, prosecutors don’t even try to hold top executives criminally accountable. They claim it’s too hard to prove that the people at the top knew about the corporate misconduct.” She hopes that the bill will deter CEOs of acting criminally by removing these barriers to prosecution.
Since December, when Warren launched an exploratory committee for seeking the Democratic National Committee’s nomination for president of the United States, she has attempted to stand out in an already crowded field. Warren has thus far avoided embarrassing herself, and has even made some positive headlines. In a CNN town hall, she called for a constitutional amendment that will protect the right to vote for every citizen, essentially nullifying laws that prevent felons from voting. Part of that amendment, as she sees it, will be the abolition of the electoral college. That would mean that individual votes would be counted directly towards the presidential election rather than towards electors who would then cast their vote for president. In theory, this would mean that presidential candidates have to focus on every state, not just swing states.
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Read MoreColorado passes bill to confiscate firearms from those deemed dangerous
Posted by Catherine Reed / April 3, 2019Both houses of Colorado’s state legislature have approved a bill that would allow a family member of law enforcement officer to petition a judge for the confiscation of a person’s firearms, if that person posed a threat to him- or herself or others. The governor, a supporter of the bill, is expected to sign it into law. Nearly 50 of the state’s 62 elected sheriffs have opposed the bill, believing it would jeopardize deputies who attempt to seize weapons. The owner of the firearms can petition to get his or her guns back after two weeks––but the person who suggested the confiscation can also petition to prevent their return.
The state’s decision follows a number of recent mass shooting-related tragedies. In recent weeks, two teenage survivors of the shooting have killed themselves. Sydney Aiello, 19, took her own life after struggling with PTSD and survivor’s guilt. She also struggled to succeed in college because she was afraid to be in a classroom. A few days later, a sophomore survivor took his own life. Police have not yet released his name nor confirmed that his suicide was linked to the shooting, though it is hard to imagine the shooting is not related to his death.
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