The NYT published an interesting opinion by sociologist Eric Kleinenberg: "It’s Time to Name Heat Waves Like We Do Hurricanes -- In typical years, more Americans die in heat waves than in hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined. Historically, though, the public, the media and politicians are quick to forget heat disasters — even where they happen most. It’s as if we have a will not to know about the brutal ways that extreme heat affects us. Denial only makes us more vulnerable to the searing summers ahead. .... As the planet warms and lethal heat events become more severe and more frequent, there’s an urgent need to make dangerous heat more recognizable. Fortunately, there is a low-cost and promising solution: naming major heat waves, giving each potentially catastrophic event its own identity and publicly acknowledging how extreme heat is changing our lives."
Germaine's helpful suggestions:
Heat Wave Trump 1, 2, 3, etc.
Heat Wave Chief Justice John Roberts 1, 2, 3, etc.
Heat Wave Exxon-Mobil 1, 2, 3, etc.
Heat Wave Chevron 1, 2, 3, etc.
Heat Wave Jim Miller 1, 2, 3, etc. (top power plant CO2 emitter in the US, 21.7 million tons/year)
Heat Wave Labadie 1, 2, 3, etc. (2nd power plant CO2 emitter in the US, 15.9 million tons/year)
Heat Wave Vistra Energy 1, 2, 3, etc. (top corporate CO2 emitter in the US, ~95 million tons/year)
Heat Wave American Petroleum Institute 1, 2, 3, etc. (top CO2 emitter lobbyist in the US)
Heat Wave American Chemistry Council 1, 2, 3, etc. (2nd CO2 emitter lobbyist in the US)
Heat Wave Steve Scalise 1, 2, 3, etc. (major Republican protector of CO2 emitters)
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Law & Crime reports about a dissent Sotomayor wrote in the recent USSC case that permits the government to continue illegal third-country, due process-free deportations: "'So gross an abuse': Sotomayor rips SCOTUS for 'rewarding' Trump admin's 'flagrantly unlawful conduct' and 'no-notice' deportations -- On Monday, Sotomayor struck a mournful tone as the Supreme Court stayed an injunction that, in her view, had "manage[d] this high-stakes litigation with […] care and attention" and "prevented worse outcomes." And yet, wrote Sotomayor, the Trump administration won "emergency relief from an order it has repeatedly defied.""
Those MAGA judges are feisty stinkers. Now they just grab people, box 'em up and send 'em somewhere very, very nasty, even if they committed no crime or broke no law. As we all know "administrative mistakes" will be made, the Constitution, laws and courts be damned.
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Reuters reports about costs to consumers of MAGA gutting consumer protections. Gutting of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau regulations by djt and MAGA elites has caused significant financial costs to Americans. That includes $18 billion in total consumer costs, $15 billion annually from reversed policies on credit card late fees (previously capped at $8) and overdraft fees (previously capped at $5)(and here). Dismissed enforcement actions dropped 22 cases against major financial institutions including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Capital One. That involved over $3 billion in alleged consumer harms. On top of those outrages, settlements were revoked, saving corporations ~$50 million in redress payments from resolved cases that will not be disbursed.
MAGA's brass knuckles capitalism is starting to land some hard punches. We all knew this was coming. We all also know this is just the beginning. Things are going to get a lot worse now that consumers have been deprotected and stripped naked for unregulated corporations to ravage and rape as they see fit.
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The New republic (and others) report that senior djt advisor Stephen Miller holds a financial stake in Palantir Technologies valued between $100,000 and $250,000. Palantir holds contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including a $30 million agreement to develop deportation-tracking software and a separate $41 million contract for case management systems. This is a direct conflict of interest, given Miller's central role in shaping the administration's immigration policies, which include aggressive deportation targets and expanded surveillance.
But as we all know, conflicts of interest are now accepted by djt and MAGA elites, maybe also most of the MAGA rank and file. Open corruption is the new MAGA normal.